Montez Sweat, who the Commanders traded to the Bears, was the primary target. It was even confirmed that Atlanta had offered Washington a third-round pick, which Chicago beat with a higher second-round pick. Later, Jeremy Fowler added that the Falcons were willing to hand Sweat a contract extension, and he wanted to go to Atlanta.
This is all old news. Montez Sweat signed a massive contract extension with the Bears, but I thought this new information was necessary. CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones confirms the Falcons originally offered a third-round pick with a conditional second-round pick that would convert if the club extended Sweat, but Jones added that Terry Fontenot upped the offer to remove the condition.
The Falcons wanted him badly, and Jones confirmed that the Georgia native preferred Atlanta and that Fontenot had worked on what a contract extension would look like. Obviously, the Bears’ second-round pick was more valuable, which is what the Commanders preferred.
Now, this is all to say that the Falcons desperately wanted Montez Sweat, a pass rusher. Fans can expect Atlanta to be in the market for a similar type of player this offseason. Whether that’s via trade or free agency, the Falcons will be adding a marquee pass rusher.
Terry Fontenot inquired about star pass rusher Brian Burns ahead of the trade deadline as well. A trade is certainly on the table, but the free agent class is absolutely loaded, so the Falcons will have options and the money to land one of several impact edge defenders.
Obviously, not all of these guys will hit the market, but here are some of the headliners of the upcoming free agent class — Josh Uche, Danielle Hunter, Brian Burns, Derek Barnett, Josh Allen, Chase Young, Za’Darius Smith, Leonard Williams, and others.
