The Falcons aren’t in the business of shopping away core pieces, and if ESPN’s Bill Barnwell’s trade-value exercise says anything, it’s that Atlanta would be smart to keep it that way.
Barnwell broke down which players around the league would be worth a top pick in return, and for the Falcons, the most interesting names were the ones that just missed that tier. Two of them make sense at first glance: Michael Penix Jr. hasn’t shown top-tier quarterback play yet, and James Pearce Jr.’s legal troubles have dragged down his value.
The real head-turners were Chris Lindstrom, Kyle Pitts Sr. and A.J. Terrell Jr. Those are three of the most recognizable names from Atlanta’s recent run of bright spots, and Barnwell’s list puts them just outside the range of a Day 1 return.
Lindstrom is the one Barnwell pointed to as a premium guard whose age and contract complicate the math. As Barnwell wrote, “Lindstrom is one of the league's better guards and has made it to each of the past four Pro Bowls,” but “he also turned 29 in February and has cap hits north of $26 million in each of the next two seasons.”
Those are fair concerns on paper. Still, 29 is hardly ancient for an offensive lineman, and the Falcons would have a hard time finding a better run-game piece than a guard who can carve out clean lanes the way Lindstrom does. It’s easy to see why another team would send a late first-rounder his way.
Pitts also belongs in that conversation. He showed last season that he can still be a high-level tight end, and the fact that he’s already on a long-term deal only makes him easier to slot into another roster. Even now, he still feels like a player whose best football may be ahead of him.
Terrell might be the toughest omission of all. He’s 27, he plays a premium position, and he has spent much of his career covering for bad defenses while still handling top receivers. That kind of cornerback usually doesn’t come cheap, and it’s not hard to imagine a contender valuing him like a first-round pick.
None of that changes the bigger picture: Atlanta shouldn’t be entertaining trade talks for any of these players anyway. The whole exercise is hypothetical, and for the Falcons, it’s more useful as a reminder of how much value those cornerstones still carry.
In Other News...
Michael Penix Jr. Just Put The Falcons QB Plan In Doubt
Training camp is opening with an unusual quarterback backdrop in Atlanta, where Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa are set to be part of the same competition. Penix is working back from a torn ACL, and his health remains the key variable in how the Falcons map out the position. The team brought in Tagovailoa as a safety net, giving itself another experienced option while it waits to see how much Penix can handle once camp gets going.
Tagovailoas presence also gives the Falcons some real decisions to make beyond the summer. If Penix is not ready, the veteran could be in line to handle the early part of the season, and Atlanta would then have to keep thinking about what comes next with him on the roster. The bigger picture is just as important: the Falcons are trying to sort out not only who gives them the best chance right away, but who fits their quarterback plan moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Matt Ryan And Julio Jones Just Sparked A Huge Atlanta Debate
Bleacher Reports latest look at Atlanta sports royalty has reopened an old conversation around two of the most recognizable names to wear the citys colors. The list of legends from the 2000s included Freddie Freeman, Chipper Jones, Matt Ryan and Julio Jones, a reminder of how much star power Atlanta has packed into the last quarter-century across baseball and football.
Ryan and Julio still loom large in the city for different reasons, and both have stayed in the public eye since their playing days in Atlanta. Ryans move into a front-office role with the Falcons keeps him tied to the franchise in a meaningful way, while Jones has been charting a different post-NFL path, reportedly training to become a professional bowler and owning part of a wiffle ball franchise. Put those threads together, and it is easy to see why the debate around where they fit in Atlanta history is not going away anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]
ESPNs Olamide Zaccheaus Label Will Hit Falcons Fans A Nerve
The Falcons offseason shopping list leaned heavily on veteran-minimum deals, and Olamide Zaccheaus was one of the more familiar names to come back into the mix. The wide receiver was expected to be a depth piece when Atlanta signed him, but the roster around him has left the door open for more than a purely backup assignment as the team heads toward training camp.
ESPNs Bill Barnwell recently lumped Zaccheaus into his 2026 All-Backup Team, a label that will not sit especially well with Falcons fans who remember how thin the room can feel behind Drake London. Barnwell also framed Zaccheaus as the kind of third receiver who can help stabilize an offense, and maybe even climb the depth chart before the season is over, which is exactly the sort of quiet challenge Atlanta will be watching once rookies report July 24 and the veterans follow on July 28. [Read more 🡒]