How Will the Falcons Solve Salary Cap Issues?
The Atlanta Falcons have had a disappointing off-season prior to the 2025 NFL Draft. NFL free agency kicked off with moves being made across the league, and big-name players flew off the board the moment the tampering period ended. The Falcons made moves that went in the wrong direction by not making big signings and losing key veteran players in the process of clearing cap space. The 2024 signing of quarterback Kirk Cousins is haunting the Falcons and not allowing them to bring in players who can get the team back to NFC South supremacy.
Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million contract with $100 million in guarantees during the 2024 off-season. The signing was massive for the team after the recent slide in quarterback play post the Matt Ryan era. The signing was a leap of faith for the team because Cousins was coming off an Achilles injury he sustained during 2023 with the Minnesota Vikings. He was also 35 at the time. Falcons fans still held hope he would be healthy and lead the team to the postseason. The head-scratching move of the off-season was selecting Michael Penix eighth overall in the NFL Draft, just a few weeks after the Cousins signing. With needs along the defensive side of the ball, the move made zero sense to everyone around the league. Cousins started the season hot but fell off a cliff middle of the season. The Falcons had a 1-4 stretch beginning Week 10 and Cousins threw one touchdown to nine interceptions in that time. He was benched for Penix Week 16 and the team has made it clear he is the quarterback moving forward. Cousins is still currently on the roster as a backup to Penix, making him the highest-paid non-starter in the NFL. Cousins is owed $27.5 million guaranteed with an additional $10 million roster bonus this season.
The contract for Cousins leaves the Falcons in salary cap purgatory to start the off-season, resulting in the team not re-signing key players. Team captain Grady Jarrett signed with the Chicago Bears for three years, $43.5 million. The veteran defensive tackle played in Atlanta his entire 10-year career and was a fan favorite. The front office felt the production slipping away from Jarrett and made the business decision to not retain their home-grown face of the team. The Falcons lost another key player in the trenches to the Bears, offensive center Drew Dalman. Dalman also signed a three-year deal worth $42 million. He was a four-year leader along the offensive line and his leadership in the locker room will be difficult shoes to fill.
The Falcons have yet to make a relevant signing to help improve the team in this year’s free agency and multiple big names have already come off the board. Edge rushers who were possible targets included Myles Garrett, Maxx Crosby, and Joey Bosa. Garrett and Crosby re-signed massive defensive end contracts with their teams, and Bosa signed with the Bills on a one-year, $12 million dollar deal. Bengals end Trey Hendrickson was given permission to seek a trade from the team and has yet to find a reported offer. The Falcons couldn’t make pitches for a top pass rusher, all because of salary cap issues. They have a desperate need for pressuring opposing quarterbacks, ranking 31st in sack percentage with only 31 total. Atlanta traded for Matt Judon in 2024 to help the defense generate pressure. He finished with five and a half sacks on the year after posting double-digit sack years in New England. The Falcons should look towards the draft to address their edge rusher needs with the lack of acquisitions from the free agent pool. The need for secondary players is critical as well after ranking in the bottom half of every defensive passing category. In 2024, cornerback AJ Terrell signed a four-year, $81 million contract. Terrell is a top-three shutdown corner in the league and is deserving of the payday. The issue for the team came from other areas in the secondary. The corner opposite of Terrell and nickel positions have yet to see consistent play and are often picked on by opposing quarterbacks. The biggest move the team made was signing safety Jordan Fuller from the Rams, who will look to compete with Justin Simmons. Heading into the April draft with a defensive mindset is important for the Falcons if they want to support their young offense and win the NFC South in 2025.
