Let’s face it, the Falcons have no clear sense of direction under owner Arthur Blank. They’ve routinely performed well short of expectations despite rostering some of the best players in Falcons history, a list that includes Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Grady Jarrett, and a host of others. Since their Super Bowl run in 2016, the team has a 35-46 record with only one winning season. Since 2008 when Matt Ryan was drafted, the team is perfectly mediocre with a 120-102 record. Now they face an uncertain reality with Matt Ryan & Julio Jones no longer rostered by the team. This team is lacking in key areas such as money, quarterback play, pass rush, and wide receivers. None of this bodes well for the Falcons chances of contending soon with a quality 53-man roster. Let’s take a look at some of the most questionable decisions that have left the Falcons in limbo.
Blowing a 28-3 lead
We’ve gotta talk about it to get through it, and this was surely the lowlight for the team. They could’ve (and should’ve) won Super Bowl LI, but we’re here talking about the loss instead. I’m blaming everyone for this loss, from Arthur Blank to Kyle Shanahan to Matt Ryan on down. This was an inexcusable, inexplicable collapse on the biggest stage in the most important game. We’ve been in limbo ever since, not knowing whether we can contend again or start a rebuild. It’s painfully obvious now that we’re rebuilding, but we took way too long to realize that fact.
Paying Devonta Freeman
Speaking of the Super Bowl, does anyone remember Freeman missing this crucial block? Yeah, the Falcons signed that guy to a 5-year extension making him the NFL’s highest paid RB. His egregious contract meant that we had to let fellow RB Tevin Coleman walk in free agency. Not only that, but we later released Freeman 3 years later due to injuries & underperformance.
Picking up Vic Beasley’s option
There was a time when we thought Vic Beasley would be our next great pass rusher. After all, he led the league in sacks & was voted as an All-Pro during his breakout 2016 season. His surprising performance was a crucial X-factor in the Falcons march towards Super Bowl LI. He was never the same player afterwards though, and we paid him for past performance in 2019. We paid him $14.5M despite his overall performance indicating he simply wasn’t a good player. Beasley put up decent numbers during that 2019 season, but the team finished with a 7-9 record.
Letting Matt Bryant walk
This was confusing from the start, as the team signed Bryant to a 3-year deal in 2018. They later released him in 2019, in hopes of getting cheaper production from Giorgio Tavecchio. Tavecchio struggled, so they brought “Money” back on a 1-year deal just before Week 1 in 2019. He struggled mightily before the team cut bait mid-season, replacing him with Younghoe Koo. Confused? I know I am just from writing this, and clearly the Falcons felt confusion here too.
Signing Dante Fowler
Playing next to Aaron Donald in 2019 padded Fowler’s stats & made him a better player. He didn’t have to be “the guy” playing next to Donald, and the spotlight wasn’t on him often. Despite this, the Falcons signed him to a 3-year deal that paid him to be “the guy” for the team. The team has been desperate for a pass rusher for the better part of the past decade, spending money in free agency and premium draft capital in their efforts to secure a legitimate playmaker. Fowler’s signing didn’t pan out for the team, and they let him go via free agency this offseason.
Trading away Julio Jones
You could say that this move was necessary after Julio went on FS1’s Undisputed show & said “I’m outta there” in response to a question from Shannon Sharpe about leaving the team. Still though, the Falcons had a huge dead cap hit & only got a modest return for their best player. The Falcons had an anemic passing offense in 2021, especially after Calvin Ridley’s departure. In hindsight though, releasing Julio was the right move since he’s been unable to stay healthy.
Trading away Matt Ryan
All we got for the best player in franchise history was a 3rd round pick from the Colts. That’s maddening, and especially so when accounting for him & Julio’s massive dead cap hits. In theory, we will be free from money restrictions next year but will anyone want to play for us? After all, the team treated Matt Ryan like crap after publicly missing out on Deshaun Watson. It’s clear that from Arthur Blank on down this team has no clear plan or vision for the future. We’ve been burned so many times by the Falcons before, and I doubt that changes anytime soon.
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