Winner: Michael Penix Jr.
Michael Penix Jr. went into the season knowing it could be a good two years before he could prove himself. The franchise had a plan in place and he had no control over it.
Now, he will enter his second season as the unquestioned starter after a fireworks show closed out his rookie campaign. Fans are as excited as ever and MPJ earned himself high expectations for the 2025 season.
Loser: Kirk Cousins
On the contrary, you have Kirk Cousins who many wouldn't classify as a 'loser' due to his paycheck. However, when it comes to his football career, he 100% lost.
The established veteran had some excellent games but everything took a nosedive in the second game against the Saints. From there, Cousins looked like a shell of himself as he made mistake after mistake leading to his benching. Who knows his future moving forward.
Winner: Bijan Robinson
Bijan Robinson had an outstanding sophomore year establishing himself as a top-five running back in the NFL. The eighth pick in the 2023 draft did everything you would want for a superstar running back; he ran efficiently, was a weapon out of the backfield, scored touchdowns, and was one of the best blockers at his position.
Much like Penix, Bijan will have sky-high expectations next year as he looks to lead the young and talented Falcons offense.
Loser: Kyle Pitts
Since his rookie season, Kyle Pitts could use the I haven't played with a good quarterback excuse. However, that isn't true anymore. The highest-drafted tight end in NFL history had another rough season despite good quarterback play in many games.
The lack of physicality is a huge problem as you cannot trust him to haul in contested catches, which is the point of the tight end position. He has to get stronger going into the fifth and final year of his rookie deal.
Winner: Falcons wide receivers
You could argue the Atlanta Falcons had the best group of wide receivers in the NFL. Numerous players had career years under the guidance of offensive coordinator Zac Robinson.
Drake London soared over 1,000 yards and was fourth in the league, Darnell Mooney was just short of 1,000 yards as he reclaimed the spot as one of the league's most explosive receivers, Ray-Ray McCloud III had his best season by far, and KhaDarel Hodge made some memorable plays.
It was an outstanding year for the Dirty Birds' top four receivers.
Loser: Two veteran defenders
Matt Judon and Justin Simmons came to Atlanta hoping to continue what had been two brilliant careers in the NFL. Instead, their future is as uncertain as ever after failing to make an impact that would warrant a re-signing.
Both struggled throughout the season and were liabilities oftentimes. Judon did go on a surge to close out the season but it is hard to ignore the weeks of idleness.
We will have to wait and see what their next moves are. It feels Simmons is as good as gone while Judon could return on a short, cheap deal.
Winner: Kaden Elliss
Kaden Elliss was legitimately one of the NFL's most valuable defenders in 2024. The veteran linebacker did everything for a defense that often required his everything.
Whether it was blitzing, stopping the run, simulating pressure helping other guys to get free paths to the quarterback, or covering some of the league's best players, Elliss did it all.
For a signing that was met with a fair amount of criticism, Kaden Elliss has proven to be worth every penny.
Loser: Younghoe Koo (and Riley Patterson)
Younghoe Koo's future is in doubt. No one knows whether he will return or look for a new team in 2025. It is quite shocking we are talking about this considering how good Koo has been since coming to the Falcons.
Before his injury, Koo had missed the most field goals in the NFL. He was so volatile as he would go from hitting long game-winning field goals to missing multiple in a game. He is on a decent contract for a kicker and he will be lucky to get another chance in 2025.
Meanwhile, Riley Patterson was given the opportunity to show himself but his unreliability from long distance is a major issue teams cannot contend with.
Winner: A.J. Terrell
Despite being an unquestioned No. 1 cornerback, A.J. Terrell had to prove a lot of people wrong. Many were criticizing his huge extension signed in the offseason but he shut everyone up.
Terrell proved he can be one of the three best corners at his position. When lined up one-on-one, he shut down Pro Bowlers Justin Jefferson and Terry McLaurin.
Despite that, he didn't make the Pro Bowl. Pretty ridiculous when a guy holds half of the NFC's Pro Bowl wide receivers to one catch for seven yards yet fails to make his first Pro Bowl.
Loser: Terry Fontenot
Fair or not, blame for the Kirk Cousins contract lands squarely on the shoulders of general manager Terry Fontenot. He is the leader of the front office and has to take the blame for any mistakes.
Fontenot has been up and down as a general manager. He has made many great free agent signings but his willingness to give Kirk Cousins so much guaranteed money is tarnishing his reputation.
Moving forward, he has to prove he can make up for one of the worst free agent signings in NFL history.