Getting nothing in return will haunt the Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons had opportunities to trade several players over the last couple of years and have chosen not to do so. Now, they will end up without these players and with nothing in return for them.

Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff was so sure that he had assembled a championship roster that he was not interested in trading pieces like Vic Beasley in 2018 or Austin Hooper, Devonta Freeman or De’Vondre Campbell in 2019. Now all four of them will be missing from the 2020 roster and the Falcons will have no draft picks or players to show for them.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank chose to bring Dimitroff back for his 13th season at the conclusion of the 2019 NFL season believing he can finally get things turned around. However, all that we have learned so far is that Beasley is not coming back, Blank loves him some Freeman but they have a roster to build and the Falcons are going to let Hooper and Campbell test free agency to see what their true market value is before possible extending an offer.

Before going any further, let’s just state the obvious – Austin Hooper is not worth more than $5 million per season but the open market will see him get somewhere between $9-$10 million a year. The Falcons would be insane to pay that for a guy that at his best gives you 60 yards a game and is not a great blocker. Letting Hooper walk in free agency is the right decision.

The same can be said about De’Vondre Campbell. He has not been all that great and seems to have gotten a step slower in the last two seasons, especially 2019. He was a mismatch in coverage and at times looked like he was lost in the middle of the football field. Since declaring he was better than Anthony Barr, he has failed to live up to that notion.

We all know the issues with Devonta Freeman – his huge contract and lack of actual production and propensity to get injured. The Falcons will clear just over $3 million in cap space by releasing him, there is little doubt that one of the worst contracts in Falcons franchise history will be back in 2020.

All of that said, this is not about their pending free agency or contract signed. This is about Thomas Dimitroff turning a blind eye to the betterment of the roster and not trading these guys when he had the opportunity to do.

We all know that the Atlanta Falcons fielded offers for all four of these guys and decided against making the trades happen. The Falcons are now going to be without four multi-year starters without anything to show for their service; no draft picks and no talent to develop in their place.

Sure, the Falcons will get a “comp pick” for Austin Hooper when he signs elsewhere, but that pick will be lower than where you drafted him at initially and doesn’t take into account the time and effort Matt Ryan and the franchise put into developing him into a two time Pro-Bowl player.

This type of mismanagement will never lead to a Super Bowl title. Not sure what Arthur Blank is reviewing when he looks at the overall picture and state of the franchise, but it is clear that this is an area he has clearly overlooked and one that will cost his franchise again.