Falcons can make up for their 2020 offseason blunder

During the 2020 offseason, the Atlanta Falcons were looking to sign a quality pass rusher to revamp the non-existent unit they usually deploy onto the field every year. They set their sights on the veteran Robert Quinn who was a free agent from the Cowboys.

Quinn’s decision reportedly came down to the Bears and Falcons, with him ultimately choosing the Bears, signing a five-year, $70 million contract. Atlanta ended up with Dante Fowler Jr. who was a total bust and was released this offseason.

Falcons can make up for their 2020 blunder by bringing in Robert Quinn via trade

The Falcons missed out big time with Robert Quinn, as he would have no doubt brought better play than Dante Fowler Jr. ever did.

Atlanta ended up paying more per year for Fowler than the Bears are for Quinn, and if Quinn ended up choosing the Falcons, then they would have likely never given Fowler that awful contract.

Robert Quinn did have a lower sack total than Fowler in 2020, but that certainly was not the case in 2021, when Quinn was second in the league with 18.5 sacks—having more sacks than the Falcons had as a team.

Now as we have entered OTA’s for the 2022 season, despite it being a new front office making decisions, the Falcons can make it right by trading for Robert Quinn who seemingly is looking to be traded.

While it has not been totally confirmed that he is wanting to be traded, it is everyone’s best guess as to why he is absent, as he likely is not looking for a new contract since he already has a massive one.

The Falcons also have former front office people from the Bears in their front office now, most notably Ryan Pace who was the one to offer Quinn that contract in 2020. So, there is no doubt that Atlanta could inquire about him with all of the connections.

However, there is a big problem with them pursuing Robert Quinn. The timeline of both the player and the team does not match.

The Falcons are trying to build for the future, not the present, and Robert Quinn is 32 years old, so he is probably looking to latch on with a Super Bowl contender, certainly not a team who could be a few years away from contending.

So, while there are connections between the two, do not expect the Falcons to acquire the veteran pass rusher, even if it would help make up for their blunder from a couple years ago. The timeline for the two sides just does not match.