The Falcons find themselves in an interesting spot going into the 2025 NFL offseason. They were hoping to compete with the veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins and their roster of young talent. But it didn’t quite pan out that way. Now they are hoping their young prospect Michael Penix Jr can hit the fast track so that they can compete to win the NFC South.

The curveball here is that they have some work to do in terms of cap space. There are certainly players they can restructure like Chris Lindstrom or Jessie Bates to help with that. Luckily, they don’t have too many holes to fill in free agency outside of depth and special teams pieces. 

Let’s look at the salary cap, the contracts, the free agent market, and possibly some of the trade rumors swirling around guys like Kirk Cousins and Kyle Pitts. Maybe we can even get an advantage in our dynasty fantasy football leagues if our predictions pan out!

*The salary cap numbers referenced in this article come courtesy of our friends over at Spotrac.com*

 

 

 

Atlanta Falcons Depth Chart 2025 (Fantasy Football Relevant)

QB

Kirk Cousins

Michael Penix Jr

  

RB

Bijan Robinson

Tyler Allgeier

Avery Williams

Jase McClellan

WR

Drake London

KhaDarel Hodge

  

WR

Darnell Mooney

Casey Washington

  

WR

Rondale Moore

Ray-Ray McCloud

  

TE

Kyle Pitts

Charlie Woerner

Ross Dwelley

 

  • White = unrestricted free agent
  • Green = role is safe
  • Yellow = role in flux
  • Orange = likely a depth piece
  • Red = roster spot not guaranteed

Atlanta Falcons Free Agency 2025

  • PROJECTED 2025 SALARIES: ~$288M
  • ESTIMATED 2025 CAP SPACE: ~-$8M

 

 

 

Falcons Quarterback Depth Chart

Kirk Cousins: I don’t blame the Falcons for taking the approach they did. Quarterback is by far the most important position in football, so they took no chances. They signed a veteran QB to start now and drafted the quarterback of the future at 8 overall in Michael Penix Cousins didn’t work out but at least they gave it a shot. Now they are expected to part ways.

The rub is that Kirk Cousins has a no trade clause. And it’s in his financial benefit to some degree to not facilitate a trade as he will get his guaranteed money regardless before signing a deal with his new team (rumors have been swirling about teams like the Cleveland Browns or New York Giants). Cousins has a $10 million roster bonus that hits on March 17th so we can expect him to be released before then.

Michael Penix Jr: The time for Penix to take over came sooner than many expected but it is here, nonetheless. And there’s reason to be hopeful for him outside of the promising yet small sample size we saw in 2024. 

We looked at hit rates for quarterbacks in the NFL draft from various perspectives last year and one trend became clear - the odds of later QBs drafted panning out increases drastically if the other QBs before then hit as well. The 2024 QB class with Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, and Bo Nix is looking like a good one which has us hopeful for Michael Penix and JJ McCarthy. I’m buying. 

FALCONS QB FREE AGENCY TAKE: The Falcons are going to need a backup quarterback here behind their young starter. Which makes this the perfect location for a veteran, non-threatening backup. Someone that understands their job is to teach, help with scouting, and be available in the worst case. And those guys are usually floating around. Here are some options. 

 

 

 

Falcons Running Back Depth Chart

Bijan Robinson: The top of the depth chart is certainly all set. Bijan Robinson is one of the league's top backs, as he was expected to be. He’s on a rookie deal through 2026 though they could pick up his 5th year option for 2027.

The real priority for both sides is getting a long-term deal done that keeps him in Atlanta through the entirety of his prime though that might be more of an issue for the offseason next year. 

Tyler Allgeier: Tyler Allgeier has been everything you could want out of a backup RB. He’s under contract for this year but he’s an unrestricted free agent in 2026. 

If the price is reasonable, it would make sense to extend him, but Allgeier might want to test the open market to see if he can carve out a bigger role or even start elsewhere. That would certainly be best for his value in fantasy football. 

Avery Williams: Williams has had an interesting career as he was actually a cornerback in college. He also played special teams where he returned six punts and three kickoffs for touchdowns. 

That earned him some attention in the NFL where he was converted to a running back but really primarily contributes on special teams. He’s an unrestricted free agent and, if the Falcons don’t bring him back, they’ll need help both for punts and kickoffs. I expect him to be back. 

 

 

 

Jase McClellan: If the Falcons do move on from Tyler Allgeier in the future, McClellan could be a part of that decision. They drafted him for his physical run style which overlaps with the skill set of Allgeier. 

McClellan did have an ACL injury in 2021 and dealt with foot injuries in college so it’s a little concerning to see him go on season ending IR in 2024 with a knee issue. He’s on a fairly cheap deal as a 6th round pick that would carry $145K in dead cap with $860K in savings so, if healthy, I expect him to remain with the team as depth.

FALCONS RB FREE AGENCY TAKE: Assuming they can bring Avery Williams back in free agency, the Falcons will be fairly set at running back depth. If they can’t, they might need to bring in a special teamer - preferably someone who returns both punts and kicks. 

Here are some of the names out there with experience there. Ray-Ray McCloud could handle punts/kicks, but teams typically have two players back for kicks under the new format.

 

 

 

Falcons Wide Receiver Depth Chart

Drake London: Not much needs to be said here talent-wise. Drake London is an emerging star and prototypical split end. He’s on the last year of his rookie deal and they will almost certainly pick up his 5th year option. 

That would be a fail-safe, but the goal is to sign him to a long-term extension. With guys like Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson getting $140 million deals, he’s certainly going to fall in the 9-figure range and possibly north of $120 million. 

Darnell Mooney: Let’s talk about Tightrope surgery. It’s capitalized here because it’s a patented technique used to repair serious high ankle sprains. The idea is to insert a cord that allows the player to return to play quicker than normal albeit not at 100%. And, like many serious high ankle injuries, the return to 100% still has a long timeline. 

We now have examples of this like Tony Pollard, Mark Andrews, Tank Dell, and Darnell Mooney, who had the procedure in 2022 and struggled in 2023. Tony Pollard said he “didn’t feel right” until Week 11 of the following season and Mark Andrews clearly was on a similar timeline. 

The Falcons bet on Mooney, and, in 2024, he was clearly back to full strength. Which is great news for the Falcons as there is really no out in his contract in 2025. In fact, he’s a candidate for a restructure that would free up cap space for the Falcons and solidify his future with the team. 

The field stretcher will be back so the question really is whether Kyle Pitts can actually take a step forward or whether they bring in another WR to threaten that target share. At his price, Mooney should at least remain a guy you can flex in your fantasy leagues if need be. 

Rondale Moore: The Desmond Ridder for Rondale Moore trade didn’t amount to much for either team. Rondale Moore suffered a season-ending knee injury before even playing a snap. He’s now an unrestricted free agent. They might bring him back to compete for slot work but there’s likely no rush as they wait and see how the recovery goes. 

 

 

 

KhaDarel Hodge: KhaDarel Hodge is an unrestricted free agent, but I would not be surprised to see the Falcons bring him back. Not only was he a Pro Bowl caliber special teams player but he has the size and ability to play split end allowing him to fill in for Drake London if need be. 

In fact, he did just that and scored a heroic 45-yard walk off overtime touchdown in Week 5 against the Buccaneers. He doesn’t need to be rostered unless it’s a very deep dynasty league but those are the moments where he could see a spot start in fantasy football.

Ray-Ray McCloud: McCloud already contributed on kicks and, if they let Avery Williams walk, he could pick up punt return duty in 2025. He’s returned well over 130 punts in his NFL career so he’s no stranger to the work. He can also contribute out of the slot, so his roster spot is fairly safe. 

Casey Washington: WR coach and former NFL player himself, Ike Hilliard, has had nothing but positive things to say about Casey Washington. Washington played primarily on the outside at Illinois so he would probably only see time if Darnell Washington went down (or maybe Drake London if they don’t bring back Hodge). 

Like many Day 3 picks, he’s on a cheap deal but it also wouldn’t cost them much to release him. I expect him to remain with the team as depth.

FALCONS WR FREE AGENCY TAKE: The Falcons are set at split end with Drake London and flanker with Darnell Mooney. Assuming they bring back KhaDarel Hodge and hang onto Casey Washington, they’ll have some depth as well. 

Where they could stand to upgrade is in the slot - here are some options if they don’t go with Ray-Ray McCloud. They really don’t have much cap to spare so an affordable vet or taking a stab on a younger pure slot guy is probably the move if they don’t plan to try their luck in the draft.

 

 

 

Falcons Tight End Depth Chart

Kyle Pitts: They already picked up the 5th year option for 2025 so Kyle Pitts will be back in Atlanta this year. He once again underwhelmed, in part because Zac Robinson opted for a better inline blocking tight end at times in Charlie Woerner, especially to close out games. 

Not only is a future extension in Atlanta looking less and less likely but he has been floated as a potential trade candidate this year with the cap space crunch. Based on the financial structure of the 5th year option, all ~$10.87M of his cap hit would transfer to the new team. At the risk of “catching a falling knife”, I’m looking to buy Pitts in dynasty hoping that he moves on to a team that uses him more as a WR rather than a two-way TE like Zac Robinson prefers. 

He just turned 24 a couple months ago, and he could see an Evan Engram-like resurgence in the right system. Teams like the Patriots or Cowboys have been mentioned as possible destinations where he could see more targets. 

Charlie Woerner: Woerner is a fantastic blocking tight end but doesn’t offer much in the pass catching realm. He’s on a fairly reasonable deal through 2026 so I expect him to be a Falcon in 2025.

Ross Dwelley: Falcons head coach Raheem Morris is very close with Kyle Shanahan so it’s no surprise that he’d bring in a couple of former 49ers like Woerner and Dwelley. 

Woerner is a blocker and Dwelley skews pass-catching, but you probably don’t want either as your primary pass-catching tight end. He’s a free agent and, if he’s back in 2025, it will likely be as a depth piece behind Kyle Pitts.

FALCONS TE FREE AGENCY TAKE: The issue with a Kyle Pitts trade is that the free agent tight end market is pretty slim. They would have Charlie Woerner as a blocking tight end and could also add someone through the draft but here are the pass-catching tight end options if they do make a trade.