The Falcons thought they had solved one of their oldest headaches when they handed Nick Folk a two-year, $9 million deal in free agency. Eight games in, that bet is looking shakier by the week.
What should have been a steady answer at kicker has turned into another problem Atlanta has to manage. Folk has already missed four field goals this season, which is more than he missed combined over the previous three years. That’s a jarring turn for a player whose reputation was built on dependability.
The latest example came in the Falcons’ 16-0 loss to the Buccaneers in Week 8. On Atlanta’s opening drive, Folk was sent out for a 53-yard try in the rain and pulled it wide left without much drama at all. It was his first miss since Week 2 against the Panthers, but it was the kind of miss that changes how a coaching staff thinks.
The Falcons started acting like they didn’t trust him. Down six in the second quarter, they passed on a 49-yard field goal and went for it on fourth-and-six instead.
Michael Penix Jr. then threw his third interception of the first half on the play. There were other moments in the game where Atlanta chose aggression over a kick, including fourth-and-short situations that suggested the confidence level in Folk is slipping.
That’s the real issue here: the Falcons are no longer treating a field goal beyond 50 yards like a routine decision. Folk once drilled a 56-yard game-winner against Atlanta in the rain with the Jets last season, but that version of him hasn’t shown up in Falcons colors. Three of his four misses this year have come from long range, even though he made seven of eight from 50-plus as a Jet in 2025.
That matters because the modern NFL is full of kickers who can cash in from 55, 60, even 65 yards. Atlanta doesn’t have that kind of security blanket right now. Without it, the offense has to make different choices, and when those fourth-down gambles fail, they leave Jeff Ulbrich’s defense with worse field position and a tougher job.
The contract also tells you Atlanta planned for some risk. Folk’s deal pays $4.5 million a year, which made him the 10th-highest paid kicker in the league this past offseason, but the Falcons built in an escape hatch. If they move on this season, the dead cap hit would be $4 million; next season, it drops to just $1.25 million.
So while this is technically a two-year deal, it functions more like a one-year commitment with an option to get out if things go sideways. And right now, that feels like the direction this is headed. The Falcons are likely to ride it out through this season, but the search for Folk’s long-term replacement may already be looming.
In Other News...
Falcons Head To Madrid With New Concerns And A Possible Boost
The Falcons are heading into their trip to Madrid still trying to shake off a strange 16-0 loss to Tampa Bay, one that stood out even by the standards of an off day. Atlanta did not allow a completed pass and still came away empty, a reminder that the defense did enough in one area but the offense never found a way to turn the game into anything manageable.
Kevin Stefanski said the injury picture is not getting cleaner before the matchup with Cincinnati, with Samson Ebukam and Zachariah Branch both unavailable because of hamstring issues. There is at least one potential lift on the horizon, though, as James Pearce Jr. is back in the conversation after completing an eight-game suspension, giving Atlanta a possible reinforcement as it tries to steady itself on an international stage. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Just Got Outplayed In The Exact Way They Wanted To Win
Rainy conditions in Week 8 turned into a ground-game test, and it was Tampa Bay that controlled it. The Buccaneers leaned hard on the run and came away with a 16-0 win, while Atlanta never found the same kind of rhythm on the ground despite having Bijan Robinson in the backfield. It was the sort of game the Falcons usually want to make their own, only this time they were the ones getting pushed around in it.
The matchup carried a little extra edge because Zac Robinson was on the other sideline as Tampa Bays offensive coordinator, facing Atlanta for the first time since leaving. Instead of the Falcons dictating terms with their rushing attack, the Buccaneers were the more effective and more committed team in that phase, which only sharpened the frustration for Atlanta. For a club built to lean on the run, getting outplayed there is the kind of result that lingers. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Just Got A Huge Pass Rush Boost At The Right Time
The Falcons got a timely lift for a pass rush that could use it, reinstating edge rusher James Pearce Jr. and making him eligible to rejoin the mix for their Week 9 matchup against the Bengals. Pearce led Atlanta in sacks last season, and his return gives the defense a proven edge presence at a point in the schedule when pressure off the corner can change the tone of a game.
To clear the way, Atlanta moved on from defensive lineman Jared Ivey and defensive end Drake Jackson, a reminder that roster churn is part of the cost of getting healthier. The bigger question now is how quickly Pearce can slide back into the rotation and whether the Falcons can turn that added pressure into the kind of disruption they have been looking for all season. [Read more 🡒]