Atlanta's decision to trade back into the first round garnered some understandable headlines. Anytime a team willingly gives up a future first-round pick, it will earn a strong reaction in either direction. The Falcons not only gave up their 2026 first-round pick to move up for James Pearce Jr., but this year's second-round selection as well. It is a costly move, Atlanta fans who have endured the last decade of inept pass rushing units understand all too well. This wasn't the case accross the league on Thursday night, however, with a handful of notable reactions.
Among them was FS1 pundit Nick Wright, who is noted for his contributions as a co-host on First Things First and podcast What's Wright? Wright's reaction was understandably negative, spoken from the perspective of a Kansas City fan who can't come close to understanding the misery Atlanta fans have been forced to endure.
Also, if those details are correct, the Falcons just paid approximately 250 cents on the dollar for that trade. That’s a baffling, baffling move.
— nick wright (@getnickwright) April 25, 2025
Wright's take isn't misguided, but lacks the context of Atlanta's understandable desperation
Wright's take on Atlanta spending "250 cents on the dollar" in the team's move up for James Pearce Jr. isn't misguided. Where the plot is lost just a bit is the suggestion that this is a baffling move when it is anything but. Atlanta has endured season after season of defensive misery, incapable of finding a franchise pass rusher. The last time the Falcons believed they had a franchise answer was Clemson product Vic Beasley Jr. Aside from one great season in 2016, the pick was a consistent frustration and not the answer fans were hoping for.
Nearly a decade in the defensive wilderness has left the Falcons willing to become recklessly aggressive. Nothing else in the team's playbook has worked in recent years. Atlanta spending a future first-rounder shows belief in Pearce and an understanding of where Atlanta GM Terry Fontenot finds himself.
The Atlanta GM was the mastermind behind Atlanta's decision to sign Kirk Cousins to a top-dollar contract that the team would do anything to take back. Add in spending a valuable pick for Matthew Judon, and it is easy to see why the GM should be considered on thin ice. Fontenot is gambling everything on two factors. The first is Michael Penix Jr. becoming a franchise-changing quarterback capable of elevating Atlanta back into playoff relevance.
Secondly, Fontenot is betting Pearce and Walker will be enough to push Atlanta's defense forward and provide the needed support for Penix. The pressure is on Pearce to develop into a double-digit sack producer and an answer the franchise has long been searching for. While Wright's take that the Falcons overpaid isn't completely wrong, it ignores the context of the franchise's desperation and the belief the team is showing in their quarterback and head coach. It is, however, an unquestionable gamble, one that will either pay off or end with Fontenot finally being shown the door.