The Atlanta Falcons are no longer a competitive team. That squad that landed in the Super Bowl a couple of years ago is gone and even their best players are aging, reaching the end of their primes, no longer being valuable for the team.
They are looking to start new things and new management will take over the Falcons next season, something that could bring a lot of changes to the team in terms of their personnel. Nobody is safe right now in Atlanta and even the historic players could be shipped somewhere else in the short future.
Atlanta are ready to hire a new general manager and get rid of some players regardless of their contribution to the team in prior seasons. Team president Rich McKay says whoever gets the job will be free to do whatever they want with Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, the soul and heart of this team for a lot of time.
Atlanta Falcons could part with Matt Ryan and Julio Jones via trades
The Athletic’s Jeff Schultz and Tori McElhaney, McKay won’t force anybody to keep Ryan and Jones, especially from a salary cap standpoint. The Falcons aren’t competing for anything in the NFL and having these guys with their hefty contracts on the books is not a good idea.
As for the future of Ryan and Jones, both of whom punctuate the Falcons’ salary cap problems, McKay acknowledged that the next GM may prefer to rebuild the roster without one or both of the centerpieces of the team’s offense. When asked how he would respond if a job candidate wants to move on from Ryan or Jones, McKay said: “Give us a plan. Show us what you want to do and show us why. Show us how this gets us to Ws and make sure you actually execute the plan.”
After a couple of seasons being one of the most dangerous teams in the NFC, the Falcons are now entering a rebuilding process and parting with Ryan and Jones is imperative for them. The best years in the Falcons are gone for them and now it’s time to look for a new challenge in the league.
