Just now having turned 24 years old, Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson just wrapped up another Pro Bowl season, and he also earned first-team All-Pro honors and finished fourth in the Offensive Player of the Year voting in 2025.
Robinson led the NFL with 2,298 scrimmage yards, while also adding 11 touchdowns. Through three years in the NFL, he's got 5,648 yards and 34 touchdowns, which is how many yards some running backs finish with after an entire career.
The issue, here, though, is that the Falcons have not been able to maximize Robinson's skillset, as the team has missed the playoffs in each year of his career, and they've also dealt with some inconsistent quarterback play. Well, when you take an aerial look at the Falcons situation, they might have to confront a harsh truth and trade their All-Pro weapon.
Why a Bijan Robinson trade makes sense for the Atlanta Falcons
You might roll your eyes here, as there'd be no chance the Falcons would do this, right? Well, you probably thought the same thing about the Dallas Cowboys trading Micah Parsons, but it happened. One obvious reason why Robinson should be traded is that he's going to net the Falcons a first-round pick and more in any sort of deal.
Given how elite of a player he is, it's not a stretch to think that a team could give up a first and second-round pick for his services. He's that good. Secondly, the Falcons do not have a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Now former general manager Terry Fontenot traded that pick to the Los Angeles Rams, which allowed the Falcons to come away with James Pearce Jr and Jalon Walker in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
With a new regime coming in, led by Ian Cunningham, Matt Ryan, and Kevin Stefanski, not having a first-round pick just cannot be something they are OK with. Atlanta also has a ton of notable free agents, including Kyle Pitts, Leonard Floyd, Kaden Elliss, David Onyemata, Arnold Ebiketie, and many others.
No NFL team is ever able to retain all of their top free agents, so the Falcons are going to see a good bit of talent walk out of the door and sign with new teams. Sure, the NFC South is a bad division, but the Falcons contribute to that, as the quarterback situation approaching 2026 isn't clear at all.
Michael Penix Jr is now recovering from a third ACL tear, so the lengthy injury history the quarterback had coming into the NFL is unfortunately impacting him as he approaches his third year in the league. Simply put, the Falcons just aren't in a position to compete for much of anything in 2026.
Robinson would be able to fetch them a massive haul that could contribute to a much-needed rebuild, or, perhaps a 'retooling' if you want to use that term. There's also this dark cloud that still appears to be present regarding teams paying running backs, as it doesn't always work out.
This would be a league-altering move, but it's also a needed one for the franchise.