3 Reasons the Atlanta Falcons should trust Desmond Ridder next season

Jan 8, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder (4) drops back to pass against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 8, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder (4) drops back to pass against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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Atlanta Falcons
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) takes reps during practice at PayCor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023.Bengals They Gotta Play Us /

1. Learn from the final four teams

Three of the final four teams in the conference finals have quarterbacks who are on rookie deals and benefitting from teams built completely around them. Of the teams that have won a Super Bowl over the last decade the vast majority had either a complete team, Tom Brady, or Patrick Mahomes.  Mahomes is the one outlier left in the playoffs as a quarterback who has been paid and is simply still great enough to elevate his team each and every season.

If you don’t have a Brady or a Mahomes the best path forward to win a Super Bowl is finding a quarterback you can trust on a rookie deal and building a complete team around him. At times this has even worked with veteran quarterbacks with the Eagles and Nick Foles and the Ravens with Joe Flacco the two latest examples.

The quarterback is always going to have to make plays to win but to compete and make the playoffs the clearest path for Atlanta is trusting Ridder and building a complete team around him. With what the Falcons will save on cap space the team has the ability to build a playoff team.