Now that the Atlanta Falcons are officially franchise tagging Kyle Pitts, their relationship with Drake London is getting pretty dicey. He wants a new contract extension, but the front office waited too long to pay up, which has blown up in their faces. The more time they waste, the greater the chance he will hit free agency next offseason, which cannot happen.
This offseason is the Falcons' final chance to sign London to a long-term deal before they have to start considering alternate possibilities. If the gap in negotiations is as large as we believe, there's a real chance that Ian Cunningham does the unthinkable and truly considers trading his star receiver.
The Dirty Birds also have to negotiate extensions with Pitts after the tag and Bijan Robinson, which will basically force Cunningham to decide between the trio. They can still keep them all, but that is a major investment, so if Atlanta isn't interested in paying a $35 million price tag, here's how to proceed.
If the Falcons get blown away by a trade offer, they should consider trading away Drake London
The Falcons are also without a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, so there could be some incentive to swinging a major trade. Trading London would almost certainly help them recoup a first-round pick, but there's also no reason to trade him unless Cunningham has no other choice to make.
We live in a world where elite wide receivers grow on trees, so several teams could clearly covet the 24-year-old's services. But here's the real kicker: London is a very good wideout, but calling him elite is just plain wrong. He doesn't deserve to make more money than Justin Jefferson or CeeDee Lamb.
If the former USC Trojan sees himself as more of a $30-$35M type of player, but the Falcons see him as a player worth the lower end of this scale. Only 10 receivers make over $30 million in average annual value and while London wants to be one of them, he deserves similar money to Tee Higgins.
However, any sort of consideration of trading London comes with one major hitch: Atlanta's receiver room can't handle losing him. London has a good rapport with Michael Penix Jr. and is far and away the best pass-catcher on the team, but he's also the leader of one of the worst WR rooms in the NFL.
Darnell Mooney is about to be cut and everyone else is a practice squad pickup, so if the Falcons really want to trade him, they need a backup plan in place. They could break the bank on a stud WR, or they could use the picks they receive to draft Jordyn Tyson or Makai Lemon in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Frankly, I don't hate the idea of bringing in Tyson or Lemon if London is gone. This could be a wild possibility where I'm foolishly grasping at straws, but never say never.