Diving into how Kevin Stefanski's Falcons are now the oldest team in the NFL

The Atlanta Falcons check in at the bottom of the NFL hourglass with an average player age of 27 years and 220 days following the initial 53-man roster cut day. Edging out the media hype train Los Angeles Rams and Aaron Rodgers’s Steelers by less than two weeks, how did this new Falcons regime led by GM Ian Cunningham and head coach Kevin Stefanski get here? Particularly for a franchise that hasn’t exactly been “win-now”, staggeringly missing the NFL playoffs since 2017?

Rostering the fourth-oldest player in the entire NFL will skew the ticker for starters, but it’s “worth it” having kicker Nick Folk at the brimming age of 41 (42 in November). With the league average teetering toward 26.5 years old, youths like 21-year-old rookie CB Avieon Terrell beneficially tutor the math a bit. Keep in mind that two of the youngest players in the franchise, star pass rushers James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker (both 22), don't count in this assessment, being on suspension and IR.

The Falcons being the oldest team in the NFL isn't necessarily a bad thing

Beyond Folk, 44 of the 90 training camp contracts were one-year deals or expiring contracts that will flip the team age heading into 2027. In further detail, only two of the nine players who are at least 30 years old (Nick Folk & Jake Matthews) have contracts going into 2027.

Nick Folk (K) – Age 41
Jake Matthews (OT) – Age 34
Za'Darius Smith (ED) – Age 33
Corey Levin (C) – Age 32
Cooper Rush (QB) – Age 32
Samson Ebukam (ED) – Age 31
Austin Hooper (TE) – Age 31
Mike Ford Jr. (CB) – Age 31
Da'Shawn Hand (DT) – Age 30

Speculation in reading the tea leaves, rookie QB Jack Strand ideally cements himself, at a minimum, QB2 for 2027 over Age 32 Cooper Rush. Rookie center James Brockermeyer spends this season developing on the practice squad, ideally working with offensive line coach Bill Callahan enough to take the step to backing-up starter Ryan Neuzil next season, in lieu of 32-year-old Corey Levin. A similar development path has been done previously at the position with Drew Dalman and Neuzil.

The Falcons currently have the most 2027 cap space in the NFL at $136,596,980. Yes, that includes recent contracts paid out to RB Bijan Robinson, WR Drake London, OG Matthew Bergeron, and TE Kyle Pitts. Sprinkle on top of that a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th-round picks in the 2027 NFL Draft. This next offseason will favor more talented youth. For all the work Cunningham has done changing what he deemed areas for improvement from the previous regime, such as acquiring Gervon Dexter and Maason Smith in hopes of flipping the defensive interior, more time and resources were always going to be needed…and they are coming.

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