1. Kirk Cousins
What a bust of a signing for the Atlanta Falcons, the team owes Kirk Cousins $90-million for three great games. Cousins would only start 14-games in all leaving the team in the final three starts with rookie Michael Penix Jr. attempting to save the season. Cousins' legacy as a Falcons will be an epic game against Tampa Bay and an all-time bad signing. It is interesting to compare the quarterback we watched set the single-game passing record for the franchise to his final start against the Raiders.
It was a move that never made sense from the start and now the Falcons are going to be forced to pivot away from the veteran. With the contract making it clear Atlanta is going to cut the veteran a trade will be impossible. This is what happens when you take half measures never fully believing in Michael Penix Jr. until it was far too late.
2. Dee Alford
Alford's time with Atlanta was over the moment he fell off to the right as the ball found Justin Jefferson for a touchdown. The play was so laughably bad it served as the ultimate Atlanta Falcons defensive play. It didn't help matters that Alford followed up this game with an all-time bad performance against Washington.
If the Commanders were in need of a play they simply needed to find who Alford was attempting to guard. It would result in a first-down and often a big play for the Commanders. It is clear that the defensive back is no longer a fit for the Falcons and not suited for a starting role. Time to move on and attempt to rebuild the Atlanta secondary.
3. Lorenzo Carter
Yet another poor decision by GM Terry Fontenot was letting Bud Dupree and Calais Campbell walk while paying Lorenzo Carter. The pass rusher was an easy roster cut that opened up enough cap space to add a veteran edge rusher. A move that was clear and yet Atlanta decided to bring Carter back yet again, a mistake they won't repeat after a truly awful season.
It is hard to find an NFL edge rusher who could be on the field as much as Carter and still have zero chance of getting to the quarterback. Add in the consistently poor run defense and there isn't a reason to keep the defender on the roster any longer. It is time to move on with almost any move in free agency or the draft being an upgrade. Teams were adding players off the street deep into the season that were have more of a positive defensive impact than Carter did. There simply isn't a world in which the Falcons can bring back a player that never makes a positive impact.