Atlanta

Falcons

Blackburn was fired by the Rams towards the end of the regular season after several losses were influenced by blunders on special teams. He had been with the team since 2023 but poor special teams showings marked a rough ending to his tenure. Blackburn will get a fresh start as an assistant in the special teams room with the Rams.

Kendall notes that new GM Ian Cunningham proactively gave an extension to DJ Moore in Chicago, and writes that “getting the deals done sooner rather than later should be the team’s approach.” London enters 2026 on his fifth-year option and is scheduled to make $16.8 million. An extension would obviously make plenty of sense after London established himself as one of the best receivers in the NFL over the past two seasons despite inconsistent quarterback play. Kendall believes London “likely sees himself” as a $30 million a year player.

Kendall notes that he believes Pitts is “likely to remain in Atlanta” either way, but that with the new executives and head coaches mostly not commenting on him, it would give everyone a year involved to see how good Pitts can be in Kevin Stefanski’s offense. The franchise tag for tight ends is not exorbitant, and Kendall notes that Pitts’ agent would likely ask for at least the tag (a little over $16.3 million) in average annual value anyway.

Rutenberg was a finalist for the Titans’ defensive coordinator job but was passed over for Gus Bradley. The 44-year-old coach joined the Falcons in 2025 after spending the previous four seasons with the Jets. Rutenberg has nearly 20 year’s worth of experience as a coach in the NFL but has never held a coordinator position.

It sounds like Garafolo believes the Falcons could release Cousins, and then attempt to re-sign him to a more affordable contract. The Browns notably attempted to trade for Cousins last year, with new Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanki then serving as the Browns’ head coach. Garafolo notes that there is expected to be “a lot of interest” in Cousins if he hits free agency. The Falcons probably need to lock in to a bridge quarterback with Michael Penix (knee) questionable to start the season after ACL surgery.

Pearce is reportedly being held in Miami-Dade County on a $20,500 bond. The case “was assigned to the felony domestic crimes intake unit,” and Pearce was “given a pre-trial conditional stay-away order” regarding WNBA player Rickea Jackson. We expect more updates in the coming days. Given the reporting so far, it would not be surprising if Pearce’s availability for the 2026 season were in question at this point.

Pace will “have options elsewhere” per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The former Bears general manager will look to rebuild the reputation in a new front office in 2026. The Falcons signaled what they thought of the current brain trust when they cleaned house after the season, and ‘president of football’ Matt Ryan clearly had no use for Pace.

Pearce is alleged to have been fleeing a domestic dispute. Not good, to put it mildly. It somehow gets worse when you factor in the charges Pearce is facing following the chase and subsequent crash, including two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and aggravated stalking. That’s in addition to “fleeing or eluding police with lights or siren.” Social media footage shows what appears to be Pearce in a struggle with police following the chase. The 22-year-old had a sensational rookie season following the Falcons’ aggressive move up to get him late in the first round, but this has him in danger of a massive suspension, perhaps missing all of 2026. There’s also the very real possibility of a jail sentence. Stay tuned.

The expected move will allow the veteran quarterback options as he decides on his next move. ESPN’s Kevin Seifert adds that Cousins is also weighing the opportunity to turn his attentions to broadcasting after dipping his toes in the discipline earlier this year. According to Seifert, Cousins “will be fully open to finding the right opportunity with another NFL team in need of quarterback help.”

Penix also said his goal is to “absolutely” be ready for Week 1. We’ll see how that goes. The 2024 first-rounder suffered his knee injury in Week 11 and is now in the process of recovering from his third ACL surgery. Penix struggled in his second season with the Falcons, throwing for 1,982-9-3 in nine games while rushing for another 70 yards and a score. He’s played only 14 games in his career, but the early production leaves much to be desired. When he does return to the field, Penix could be facing a make-or-break season in his third year with a strong 2027 quarterback class likely coming in, and new head coach Kevin Stefanski hoping to land a franchise QB after failing to do so at his previous stop.