Atlanta Falcons fans puzzled by the team's quiet approach to the 2025 offseason simply need to look back to last year. The only headlines the Falcons have grabbed thus far are due to the ongoing saga with quarterback Kirk Cousins. It was an expected drama from the moment the veteran was benched for Michael Penix Jr. No matter how the rookie quarterback fared, the team couldn't turn back the clock; Kirk's time in Atlanta as a starter was over.
This restarted Atlanta's timetable to contend and locked in an offseason highlighted only by Kirk Cousins. A price the team is forced to pay based on paying Cousins and drafting a quarterback in the same offseason. With Penix now the future of the team, you're going to have to take a step back and look at parting ways with veterans and opening up future cap space.
Atlanta is evaluating how not only to win in 2025, but how to open up a window for contention with Michael Penix Jr.
This is the reasoning the team is comfortable parting ways with veteran Grady Jarrett and not overpaying center Drew Dalman. Your timetable with Kirk Cousins is completely different and this offseason is an example of that fact. The Falcons are content to sit back and wait on the quarterback market to play out.
The priority is moving on from Kirk Cousins and parting ways with veteran contracts that won't play into the Penix era. Atlanta's 2024 offseason was the time when the chips were pushed to the center of the table and the team attempted to win-now. Signing Darnell Mooney, Kirk Cousins, Charlie Woerner, and trading for Matthew Judon were moves made in an attempt to win the NFC South and return to relevance.
Atlanta's failure to do so meant that this offseason was going to be about taking a step back and learning how far Penix can take them. This doesn't mean the team won't look to make upgrades or bring in more veteran pieces. Rather, this season is about cutting ties with win-now moves and learning how close to contention the team is with Penix.
Very quickly the team is going to be facing contract decisions with Drake London, Kyle Pitts, Matthew Bergeron, and Bijan Robinson. Young pieces that the team needs to open cap space to be able to retain. This is another piece of the puzzle as to why last offseason's splashy moves cannot be matched.
Kirk Cousins failing so spectacularly in the 2024 season made sure that this was Atlanta's only path. Taking a step back and keeping their focus on resetting the team's cap and window of contention to align with their young quarterback.