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The Atlanta Falcons had a rare moment in the sun yesterday morning when they announced a record-setting three-year, $75 million extension for running back Bijan Robinson.
Unfortunately, their positive moment in the media didn't even last 12 hours, as the Falcons made news the wrong way later in the day when second-year edge rusher Jalon Walker tore his ACL at practice, knocking him out for the entire 2026 NFL season.
Walker's absence is a huge blow to a defensive end rotation that was already expected to miss top pass rusher James Pearce for a significant portion of the season due to suspension - how long will depend on the league office.
The news is a grim reminder of the bad luck Atlanta has suffered these last 10 years - and they aren't beating the cursed franchise allegations anytime soon.
That doens't mean the Falcons should punt on the 2026 season entirely, though. A new trade proposal would be just that. According to Seth Walder at ESPN, Atlanta should send star safety Jessie Bates III to the San Francisco 49ers along with a sixth-round pick in exchange for a 2027 third-rounder.
Nobody thinks the Falcons are going to "contend" for a Super Bowl this year, but they do have a relatively easy path back to the playoffs on account of the weakness of the NFC South.
We also don't know how much of an impact head coach Kevin Stefanski will have on this team. Stefanski certainly had a huge effect on the Cleveland Browns when he joined them, turning a six-win team into an 11-5 team overnight.
There's also the possibility that Tua Tagovailoa or Michael Penix will upset all the media's negative expectations of them, and one of them could wind up establishing themselves as the team's first real franchise quarterback in the post-Matt Ryan era. If that happens, it will make up a great deal for the absences of Walker and Pearce.
Moreover, it's just not a great idea to send Bates away - especially not to a team that's likely to be an NFC contender themselves. Bates is the backbone of the team's strongest defensive unit and taking him out of the picture would open up a huge hole on the back end of their defense.
If the Falcons are going to do anything with Bates, they should give him a contract extension, which could save the team around $10 million according to Over the Cap, which they could use to fill those holes on the edge.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: ESPN trade scenario sends Falcons safety to NFC West contender
Continue reading...
Unfortunately, their positive moment in the media didn't even last 12 hours, as the Falcons made news the wrong way later in the day when second-year edge rusher Jalon Walker tore his ACL at practice, knocking him out for the entire 2026 NFL season.
Walker's absence is a huge blow to a defensive end rotation that was already expected to miss top pass rusher James Pearce for a significant portion of the season due to suspension - how long will depend on the league office.
The news is a grim reminder of the bad luck Atlanta has suffered these last 10 years - and they aren't beating the cursed franchise allegations anytime soon.
That doens't mean the Falcons should punt on the 2026 season entirely, though. A new trade proposal would be just that. According to Seth Walder at ESPN, Atlanta should send star safety Jessie Bates III to the San Francisco 49ers along with a sixth-round pick in exchange for a 2027 third-rounder.
Nobody thinks the Falcons are going to "contend" for a Super Bowl this year, but they do have a relatively easy path back to the playoffs on account of the weakness of the NFC South.
We also don't know how much of an impact head coach Kevin Stefanski will have on this team. Stefanski certainly had a huge effect on the Cleveland Browns when he joined them, turning a six-win team into an 11-5 team overnight.
There's also the possibility that Tua Tagovailoa or Michael Penix will upset all the media's negative expectations of them, and one of them could wind up establishing themselves as the team's first real franchise quarterback in the post-Matt Ryan era. If that happens, it will make up a great deal for the absences of Walker and Pearce.
Moreover, it's just not a great idea to send Bates away - especially not to a team that's likely to be an NFC contender themselves. Bates is the backbone of the team's strongest defensive unit and taking him out of the picture would open up a huge hole on the back end of their defense.
If the Falcons are going to do anything with Bates, they should give him a contract extension, which could save the team around $10 million according to Over the Cap, which they could use to fill those holes on the edge.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: ESPN trade scenario sends Falcons safety to NFC West contender
Continue reading...
