As if it wasn't clear by now, the Atlanta Falcons have a new brain-trust running the show, but things look very different upstairs under Ian Cunningham compared to how they did under Terry Fontenot.
Cunningham is currently in the midst of his first trade deadline as a GM, which has all but confirmed he's not another. Unlike Fontenot, who liked to sit on his hands at the deadline, he struck the biggest in-season trade the Falcons have likely ever made on Monday morning by trading away Jessie Bates.
Atlanta sent the All-Pro safety to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick, which is a respectable haul for a 29-year-old safety in a contract year. But past regimes, including Fontenot, never would have made a move this savvy. He would've irresponsibly paid him big money on a new contract extension, messing up the cap table to save face.
For as good as Bates has been, especially across the last couple of weeks, he was more than likely not going to be retained this offseason. The 3-6 Falcons would have likely had to pay him close to $20 million a year on a new extension, and that's an investment this new regime didn't want to make for a player at a non-premium position.
The Atlanta Falcons showed a lot of self-awareness by trading Jessie Bates
We know Ian Cunningham isn't scared to ruffle some feathers or make aggressive moves, but he's putting those lessons from the Howie Roseman School of Management to use. Instead of trying to chase results this season, he'd rather stay true to his philosophy and pick up some extra draft capital.
Even in an NFC South that's wide open, the Dirty Birds still admitted that they are not built to compete this season .They've lost four of their last five games and have issues at both tackle spots, cornerback, wide receiver, edge rusher, and quarterback, so entering a real rebuild is very necessary.
Unlike with Terry Fontenot, where it felt like the Falcons were never aware of they stage they were at as a team. This team has been far too inconsistent to be seen as real playoff contenders, so the focus should be on 2027, and they're actively trying to put themselves in a better spot come the offseason.
For one, Cunningham loves draft picks, and given he hit on the majority of his picks from his first draft class with less capital, Atlanta is right to keep giving him more swings at the plate. Now, the Falcons have four top-100 picks in the 2027 NFL Draft and have three selections in the first two rounds after Fontenot was the reason he didn't get to make a first-round pick in 2026. Talk about a course-correct.
Moreover, Atlanta leads the NFL with almost $150 million in cap space in 2027, so there is a lot of wiggle room for this new front office to go to work. And let's offer some additional context: Cunningham got more in this trade than Fontenot did in the trade that sent Matt Ryan to Indianapolis. The return was similar to what the Falcons got in the Julio Jones trade.
Terry Fontenot was the general manager who brought in Jessie Bates, but Ian Cunningham traded him away to blaze his own trail. Obviously, the Atlanta Falcons will miss having him make plays for the defense, but the recognition of where this team is should put things into perspective for a change.
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