While being tasked with cleaning up Terry Fontenot's messes, Ian Cunningham is doing whatever's necessary to help the Atlanta Falcons recoup some cap space, and that includes making difficult decisions. And he made another big one with the reported release of veteran WR Darnell Mooney.
Cunningham already released Kirk Cousins this offseason, and now another Falcons' veteran bites the dust. Mooney was widely expected to be released after a highly-disappointing 2025 campaign, but some fans were still holding out some hope once Cunningham and Kevin Stefanski came to town.
Mooney was regarded as a popular cap casualty all offseason long due to his heightened 2026 cap hit and the out on his contract. Assuming he is designated as a Post-June 1 cut, the Falcons will save $12 million in cap space, but the Tulane product will only save them $7.42 million and cost $12 million against the cap if not.
The Darnell Mooney saga for the Falcons ended with the expected outcome
The 28-year-old came close to surpassing 1,000 receiving yards in 2024, but failed to capture that same success last season. He was playing through injuries for most of the season, but still, his numbers were cut in half, which made Cunningham's decision to move on from him a lot easier.
Beyond his down season, Mooney failed to develop any rapport with Michael Penix Jr., so Atlanta was best-served to move on from him and bring in a wideout who will have a better connection with Penix. But he likely won't take long to find work, as he's a solid vertical threat a WR-needy team could use.
The 2020 fifth-round pick signed a three-year, $39 million deal with the Dirty Birds during the 2024 offseason, and was expected to be the perfect complement for Drake London. For a while he was, but ultimately, the same inconsistency that plagued him in Chicago haunted him in Atlanta as well.
This move also confirms that bolstering the receiver room is clear priority for the Falcons this offseason. The only two receivers on the roster that are under contract are London and Casey Washington, and London's extension negotiations with the team have yet to progress as anticipated.
Even still, expect the Falcons to be key players in both the free agent market and 2026 NFL Draft to add receiver help. They have a plethora of big-name free agents to keep, but most of those guys are as good as gone, so hopefully Cunningham uses the extra money to make a splash move at receiver.
The writing was on the wall for a while, so hopefully this doesn't come back to haunt Cunningham and Stefanski.