The Atlanta Falcons these past few seasons have been nothing more than disappointing. With the departure of the franchise cornerstones Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, the Falcons have yet to find their footing in the league or their division. The future is looking somewhat promising with a weak division and a few young uprising superstars, but in the end, what brings it all together is a competent quarterback who can not only lead a football team and get it a championship but can also win a locker room and the love of his teammates. Unfortunately, the Falcons have not found that guy yet.
With the departure of Matt Ryan a few seasons back, the Falcons turned to Marcus Mariota, a backup for the Raiders at the time. Mariota had a solid career with the Tennessee Titans before being unfairly benched for Ryan Tannehill, from whom the Titans eventually moved on. Mariota had come into a solid Falcons offense that had weapons such as Drake London, Kyle Pitts, and Cordarrelle Patterson. Unfortunately, he could not bring it together and was benched midway through the season for the rookie Desmond Ridder. Ridder had a promising first couple of starts where he showed flashes of being the future for the Atlanta Falcons; he passed for over 150 yards for 5 of his first seven starts.
The 2023 season would be Ridder’s first start, and with the acquisition of a college superstar in Bijan Robinson, The Falcons hoped for a promising season. Unfortunately, the Falcons fell to a 7-10 record and third in the division. It was merely a result of inconsistency at the quarterback position, where, mid-season, Ridder was benched for the former commander Taylor Heinicke. Heinicke’s impact mainly stayed the same, as his lack of playmaking down the stretch hurt them badly.
As the offseason came along, the Falcon’s first line of priority was, of course, a quarterback, whether it’d be in the draft or free agency. Some rumors Bears QB Justin Fields would come down to the city of Atlanta as there was high speculation that the Chicago Bears would use their 1st overall pick on a Quarterback. The Falcons ultimately decided to bring their Quarterback change to Kirk Cousins, who signed for $180 million for four years. Cousins had unfortunately torn his Achilles during the 2023-2024 season after leading the Vikings to a solid 6-2 record and was in the top 5 for the MVP race. Cousins’ injury concerns Falcons fans as he isn’t getting any younger. He is turning 36 this year, and father time could be coming up. Other than all the speculations on how Cousins may or may not perform, His first press conference went smoothly, as he had great things to say about the city of Atlanta. Cousins called Atlanta his home away from home. And as he wove through conversations and interviews, he told stories of how pieces of the city and its surrounding suburbs shaped him and his family. He very clearly wants to end this journey here, where much of his family’s life began. In his introductory press conference, he said point blank that he’d like to retire a Falcon. That’s the goal, he added. But even as he walked out of the media room, the introductory press conference was over, and it felt more like an establishment of an old bond than a first meeting.
The Falcons look to compete for a title as their young group of stars in Kyle Pitts, Drake London, Bijan Robinson, and now even Darnell Mooney, who the Falcons had signed in free agency. And now the Falcons have officially said that it is time to win!
Jamal Holmes(12th) said, “Our past 3 quarterbacks have been a disaster class, so I guess Kirk is somewhat of an upgrade; also, if Kyle Pitts can get thrown the football, then we should be good, but I don’t know if Kirk’s foot is going to hold up.”
Caleb Griffin(11th) stated, “Been a Falcons fan since I was six, and now we finally looking nice. Matt Ryan wasn’t that good in his final years anyway, but we look good now that we added a QB and Darnell money.
Jordin Whitehead(11th) said, “The only way the Falcons can ever compete is with winning culture. The Falcons do have a great culture, but it has never involved necessarily winning games. I believe Kirk brings this kind of culture to ATL as, with his excellent work ethic and desire to play the game, he can get it done.
