Atlanta Falcons Last in NFL in Surprising Stat, and How They Fix It

The Atlanta Falcons have undergone a youth movement in the last two seasons, but it hasn't made a big impact yet.

Atlanta Falcons tackle Jake Matthews is in his 13th season with the team since being selected 6th overall in the 2014 NFL Draft. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With all 53-man rosters now set, the oldest and youngest teams in the league are official, and with an average age of 27 years and 220 days, the Atlanta Falcons are the oldest team in the league.

NFL Oldest & Youngest Teams

Post 53-Man Roster Deadline

Oldest Team - @AtlantaFalcons
Youngest Team - @MiamiDolphins

Oldest Player - Aaron Rodgers
Youngest Player - Keldric Faulk

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This raises many questions for a team that is not necessarily on the verge of a Super Bowl. So, why are the Falcons so old, and what does it mean for the future of this franchise? 

The first question is a little easier to answer. This Falcons squad is laden with veterans, a lot of whom were brought in on short-term contracts to help bolster the depth of the team heading into the 2026 season. 44 of the 90 players at training camp were either on one-year deals or the final year of a multi-year contract. 

The average age is also raised by the Falcons' new kicker, Nick Folk. At 41 years old, Folk is the second-oldest active player in the league and is entering his 19th NFL season. 

The Falcons are also currently missing a pair of 22-year-olds in James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker, who will not start the season on the 53-man roster because of suspension and injury, respectively. 

It doesn’t help that the Falcons went out and signed 33-year-old Za’Darius Smith to replace their pair of edge rushers. Smith and Folk help make up nine players on the roster over the age of 30. 

There is still a young core on this team, especially on the defensive side of the ball, but with a ton of veteran depth, the second-oldest player in the league, and a few young pieces not currently on the roster have the Falcons as the oldest roster in the NFL.  

So what does this mean for the team going forward? 

The Falcons have a bunch of veteran pieces that were brought in to fill holes and add depth. This is not entirely uncommon when a new regime comes in and takes over a team. 

As Ian Cunningham and Matt Ryan continue to decide which young players they truly want to build this franchise around, they need to bring in some veteran pieces who know how the league works and have played in multiple schemes.

This should help with small growing pains from a new coaching staff and free the front office to bring in their guys later who are better suited for what the team will need going forward. 

Out of the nine players on the roster over 30-years-old, Jake Matthews and Folk are the only ones who have multiple years on their contract. The rest of them were brought in on one-year mercenary contracts.

Furthermore, despite Cunningham sending a fifth-round pick to the Chicago Bears in the deal that brought 24-year-old defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. to the team, he seems loath to give up multiple draft picks in annual trade-ups during the draft.   

This should free up the team next season to become much younger through both the NFL Draft and free agency. 

To wrap things up, the Falcons are kind of old by design. It will help with the transition to a new scheme under Kevin Stefanski while still allowing for flexibility to build the team more purposefully around the young core in the coming seasons.

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