The Atlanta Falcons are back in quarterback purgatory, as both Michael Penix Jr. and Kirk Cousins come with some serious baggage. Penix’s injury history could threaten to derail a promising career and Cousins is making too much money to be looked at as just a stopgap option at quarterback.

John Madden once said if you have two quarterbacks, you have no quarterbacks, and that’s especially prevalent given this Falcons’ quarterback room is about as average as they come. But there’s no reason to tolerate adequate QB play, especially considering the elite weapons both signal-callers have had the luxury of throwing to.

But the Dirty Birds might have just stumbled upon a golden opportunity to rewrite the narrative. The Baltimore Sun’s Mike Preston reported that the Baltimore Ravens are at a crossroads with QB Lamar Jackson, so if they actually consider trading him, he would be a perfect fit in this Atlanta offense.

The Ravens and quarterback Lamar Jackson are at a crossroads, columnist Mike Preston writes. Is a trade possible?

Jackson is expected to make $74.5 million in 2026 and 2027, which would make him the highest-paid signal-caller in the league. But here is a suggestion for… pic.twitter.com/IrsHSyAdhH

— The Baltimore Sun (@baltimoresun) December 24, 2025Falcons have no excuses not to make a run at trading for Lamar Jackson

The two-time MVP has had a down year in 2025 due to some nagging injury concerns, but that doesn’t change the fact that Action Jackson is still one of the best players in the league. So if he becomes available this offseason, the Falcons will have to fend off several other suitors in trade talks.

Something worth noting is that the 28-year-old’s $74.5 million cap hit in 2026 and 2027 is currently the most expensive at QB, which means facilitating a blockbuster trade won’t come easy. Cousins would almost certainly have to be involved in the trade to help the finances match up, and he would cost at least two first-round picks in addition.

However, it doesn’t seem as though the former Heisman Trophy winner sees the Falcons as a preferred landing spot. Preston mentioned the Miami Dolphins and Las Vegas Raiders as likely suitors, with the Dolphins the likely leaders in the clubhouse since Jackson grew up in Florida.

Miami and Vegas have some solid weapons for Lamar, but it doesn’t hold a candle to who he’d be playing with in Atlanta. It doesn’t get much better than throwing to Drake London, Bijan Robinson, and Kyle Pitts, and trading for Jackson would make the Falcons instant Super Bowl contenders in 2026.

Just like with the Joe Burrow rumors, the four-time Pro Bowler is nothing more than a pipe dream, but fans can only hope that Terry Fontenot makes a big swing, or at least does his due diligence pertaining to Jackson’s availability once the season ends.