Falcons QB Dilemma: Desmond Ridder’s Contract vs. Ravens' Lamar Jackson’s Upside
It's the biggest question of the Atlanta Falcons' offseason - and now has been for the last two years: who will be Atlanta's starting quarterback in Week 1?
At the basis of roster building, teams around the NFL place a large emphasis on trying to win with quarterbacks on cheap contracts, especially rookie deals ... and the Falcons have exactly that with Desmond Ridder, a third-round selection in 2022.
But will Ridder be the guy to lead the Falcons out of the tunnel next season?
Falcons coach Arthur Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot have been noncommittal to Ridder, who completed 73 of 115 passes (63.5 percent) for 705 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions across a four-game sample size to close the season.
During their end-of-season press conference, Fontenot said he and Smith were encouraged and excited by Ridder but conceded that there was an evaluation process to be done in the coming weeks.
So, with that evaluation in the rearview mirror, did Fontenot's opinion change? Here's what he told reporters after the fact ...
“We (feel) the same way,” Fontenot said. “Desmond did a really good job. In that four-game stretch, Desmond did some really good things. Keep talking about this man's mindset and the way he carries himself, the way he works. So, we know he's going to look at the good things he did, he's looking at things (to) improve, and he's going to have a great offseason (and) be ready to roll.”
If Ridder is not the starter, there are several options expected to present themselves this offseason - headlined by the possibility of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson being traded.
As Jackson and the Ravens navigate through a drawn-out contract situation, several insiders have speculated that Baltimore may have no choice but to move on from the former league Most Valuable Player ... and Atlanta is considered a primary landing spot.
Described by Falcons players and coaches as "electric" and being a one-of-one talent, Jackson is in line for a hefty payday projected to be similar to that of Cleveland Browns signal caller Deshaun Watson's five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract.
The Falcons, of course, pursued Watson just under one year ago and may do the same with Jackson. After all, Fontenot said that he's not done adding to the quarterback room this offseason.
“It's like any other position," Fontenot began. "You want to bring in good players and you want to develop the people in your building, you want to add competition. Look at our quarterback room right now - we have two quarterbacks on the roster. And we're really excited about where we are and yet, we're going to add players."
This element of competition is something that Smith and Fontenot have built the Falcons' culture around and have continually stressed that starting roles are earned, not given.
So, will Atlanta simply bring in competition for Ridder, ala veteran bridge player who can push him over the offseason, or a competition-ender in Jackson?
The answer may come down to how much money Fontenot opts to commit to the position - which he acknowledged varies across the league.
"You have teams that put a lot of cap space at that position, some teams that don't," Fontenot said. "But I will say we always want to keep adding."
And thus, the question becomes - which team will the Falcons be?
Much of how Atlanta responds to this question depends on the extent to which it values having a quarterback on a rookie contract. Remember the roster building emphasis placed on this? The Falcons will deliver a firm answer in the coming weeks.
But in a sense, they already have.
Falcon Report asked Fontenot this exact question - how would he rate the value of having a quarterback still on his rookie deal? Here's his response ...
“It's super valuable," Fontenot shared. "I mean, if you don't have to give him this huge contract, it's more money to spend other places, so it's really valuable. But again, you're trying to do your best to win football games."
Herein lies the dilemma that's arisen each time Fontenot has spoken - initial enthusiasm or positive feelings towards the idea of Ridder ... followed with "but."
And really, that summarizes the situation at hand; the Falcons liked what they saw out of Ridder but are hesitant to fully commit to him moving forward, hence the "yes, but ..." structure of Fontenot's statements.
But the collective answer to the dilemma seems to be that the Falcons aren't afraid to dish out a big contract - just consider the magnitude of the deal they were prepared to give Watson.
For Fontenot, while the dream of roster building starts with a cheap, talented quarterback, past precedence suggests that not a necessity for winning ... and that's all that he's truly focused on, no matter the method.
"There's teams that have won with veteran quarterbacks with big contracts, there's teams that have won with rookie quarterbacks," said Fontenot. "So, it's all about building the best football team that you can.”
Now, the question becomes whether the financial and capital cost of acquiring Jackson (or somebody else) is beneficial towards "building the best football team" as opposed to taking the risk on Ridder, where Atlanta would have "more money to spend other places."
Through it all, the Falcons have the "super valuable" luxury of having a quarterback on a rookie deal - even if it's consistently accompanied by a resounding and ever-important "but ..."
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft
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