Since becoming GM of the Atlanta Falcons in 2021, Terry Fontenot approached free agency and the draft the same in his first two off-seasons: Fill needs in free agency with lower-cost options and allow the team the room to draft the best available player when the draft rolls around.
Last offseason, with newfound cap space, they splurged a bit to potentially push their young roster across the finish line to reach the playoffs. Instead, the Kirk Cousins experiment went belly-up and the bets on acquisitions Justin Simmons and Matthew Judon didn’t end up much better. So, it looks like Fontenot went back to the fundamentals as they navigate their most recent cap conundrum, including their low-cost approach to free agency.