There were so many questions about the Atlanta Falcons coming out of the combine and heading into the start of free agency that we had to break this week’s mailbag into two parts.
Part 1 focused on free-agent quarterbacks. In Part 2, we’re going to start with the quarterback prospects who were in Indianapolis before moving on to questions about how aggressive the Falcons might be next week and the potential trade value of Kyle Pitts.
Note: Submitted questions have been edited for clarity and length.
There’s a lot of buzz about quarterbacks after the combine. Ty Simpson, Drew Allar, Cade Klubnik, Garrett Nussmeier and Carson Beck, to name a few, with Arkansas’ Taylen Green as the freak athlete of the class. I’m not expecting the Falcons to bite on a quarterback until the late rounds, but that could change a bit if Ian Cunningham gets more picks. This could be an opportunity to pick up a project, high-ceiling guy. What do you think? — RB
I’ve been in the “draft a quarterback at least every other year” camp for a while now, although RB makes a good point here that the math on that is tougher when a team only has five picks. First-year general manager Ian Cunningham has been very vocal that he wants to add more picks this year. But even if he doesn’t, Atlanta should think hard about taking a quarterback, especially once we get past the third round.
The danger is that this is the time of year when quarterback value can start to artificially inflate. The combine gives the players a chance to work out and interview in very advantageous conditions and cast themselves in the best light possible. It’s also the first time a lot of coaching staffs are taking a close look at them, so coaches may not be as aware of players’ flaws as the scouts who have been studying them for several years. On top of that, the psychic pull of the QB position just makes NFL teams get more and more obsessed the closer the draft gets.
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler did a two-round mock draft coming out of the combine that predicts only Fernando Mendoza and Simpson are going to be taken by the end of the second round. That would leave Allar, Klubnik, Nussmeier, Beck, Green and another guy I want to talk about — North Dakota State’s Cole Payton — left in the pool. I don’t think the Falcons should spend their third-round pick on a quarterback, given all the other needs, but the fourth round wouldn’t be too early, and some (probably most) of these guys will still be available then.
Allar is the most intriguing of the group for me. The 6-5, 228-pounder has the pedigree. He’s a former five-star prospect with 45 starts at the highest level of college football. Of course, the reason he is expected to be available in the later rounds is that his film has some real drawbacks — most notably, crucial mistakes in some big moments for the Nittany Lions. But if Kevin Stefanski thinks he can teach Allar some poise and help him run an NFL offense, he might be worth the risk.
Payton and Green fall into the same bucket for me — athletic guys who struggle with consistent accuracy. Given that consistent accuracy is the most important trait in most NFL systems, that’s no small knock, but if the new staff thinks it could clean up those issues, then a sixth- or seventh-round pick seems worth the risk. Klubnik, Nussmeier and Beck interest me less than the others, but I’m no quarterback guru, so take that for what it’s worth.
I think the Falcons should take a conservative approach with free-agent spending because of their limited draft resources. If we get lucky, the team has a winning year, and then 2027 is the year to make a bigger splash with a lot of free-agent money to spend. If they struggle in 2026, take a quarterback in the first round in 2027 or build around Michael Penix Jr. if he shows he’s the man. Do you think the Falcons have that same vision? — Michael M.
I don’t. Arthur Blank told Arthur Smith and Terry Fontenot to take a measured approach when he hired them together in 2021. The marching orders were to clean up the books and lay the foundation for a consistent contender. That plan, I think, died on Jan. 7, 2024. That was the final game of the 2023 regular season. The Saints embarrassed the Falcons 48-17. Smith was fired hours later, and Blank hasn’t had much patience since.
Blank is now 83 and is seemingly in the process of grooming his son, Josh Blank, to take over primary control of the team. He wants to leave Josh a healthy organization, but he also wants to win while he’s around every day.
This team has a quarterback it drafted in the top 10, Bijan Robinson, Drake London, a veteran offensive line and enough pieces to build an average NFL defense. Teams have made the playoffs with barer cupboards than that. I don’t think Atlanta is going to run up future debts this offseason, but I don’t think it’s going to save much for the future either. The NFC South title and the accompanying playoff spot are available for any team in this division that can show a basic level of competence, which I think is the Falcons’ plan.
Given that Atlanta doesn’t have a lot of cap room, has just five picks (with no first), one of last year’s first-round picks might be gone for the season, the quarterback is coming off a third knee operation, it is paying a tight end $16 million it can’t afford and is about to pay $30 million to a wide receiver who missed five games last year, I would trade two of the top three offensive pieces, get some draft capital, sign a solid quarterback and find defensive linemen and linebackers in free agency. Ready, go. — Kraig B.
Kraig is in full blow-it-up mode, and after eight straight losing seasons, it’s understandable. I don’t think it’s wise, though, and I don’t think it’s what Atlanta will do. We’re just about to dive into the idea of trading Kyle Pitts, but moving on from Drake London or Bijan Robinson would be an unthinkable error.
Any rumors about a trade of Kyle Pitts for draft picks — maybe a second- and fourth-rounder or a third- and fifth-rounder? What do you think about such a move? — Seaborn H.
Jonathan Jones at CBS reported this week that teams will be calling the Falcons to make offers on Pitts. Whether or not they listen is another question. Stefanski sounded very much like he wanted to coach Pitts for a year, and Pitts is the only real pass-catching tight end on the roster right now.
So, if Atlanta does deal Pitts, let’s say for a second and a fourth, it would almost have to turn around and use that additional second on a receiving tight end, like Eli Stowers out of Vanderbilt. So the Falcons would basically be getting a cheaper tight end and a fourth-round pick. Is that worth it? I don’t know.
Now, if the Falcons grab a starting-caliber tight end in this free-agent class — somebody like David Njoku, who played for Stefanski in Cleveland, or Darren Waller — maybe that changes the math. (The wild-card tight end signing for Atlanta would be Charlie Kolar, the Ravens’ third-stringer, who people like a lot and could develop into a true dual threat at the position.)
Is there any chance we re-sign Tyler Allgeier? — Wajih S.
If there is, I can’t see it. As much as the Falcons will hate to see him leave (no one would more than Bijan Robinson), Allgeier is going to be asking for something along the lines of three years, $21 million on the open market. That’s starting running back money, and he’s not a starting running back in Atlanta.
I have a feeling many Falcons fans are gonna like this… sources tell me this red Falcons jersey will be their PRIMARY home jersey https://t.co/2FsN72ZMr2 pic.twitter.com/HlFb5nW07g
— Zach Cohen (@ZachCohenFB) March 1, 2026
Have you seen the new uniforms? — Josh R.
OK, I’ll allow one non-free agency/combine question. The Falcons will be unveiling their new uniforms on April 2. I have not seen them and won’t see them before the rest of the world.
But this is what I would love to see: red jerseys, red helmets and silver pants. I don’t think I’m going to get my wish, though.
It sounds like, from reporting done on this by @ZachCohenFB, that a red jersey will be back in the rotation (it could even be the primary jersey), but I fear it’s going to be paired with a black helmet.