3 Falcons Stars That Could Be Traded Next to Rebuild After Matt Ryan Trade

Whether Atlanta Falcons fans like the move or not, the team has officially announced that it is entering "rebuilding mode" by trading Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts.

The franchise is about two years too late in realizing that they should be focused on collecting assets to build for the future (hence the small haul for Ryan), but of course it's better late than never.

Without much hope of short-term success, the team would be best served by going all-in on building for the future. That could mean making some tough decisions and shipping off more veteran players to accumulate additional draft capital.

Here are three Falcons who could be traded next.

1. Grady Jarrett

Grady Jarrett is one of the best remaining players on the Falcons' roster, but that's also why he's one of the most interesting trade assets. Unlike someone like Kyle Pitts, Jarrett is heading into the last year of his contract, so without an extension he's not in the team's long-term plans anyway. A Pro Bowler in two of the last three seasons, Jarrett could help a ton of contending teams despite his heavy $23.8 million cap hit. The deal would not only bring some draft ammunition to the Falcons, but it would also free up $16.5 million to work with in free agency to add some young talent.

2. Deion Jones

Deion Jones is another pricey defender who could be on the way out. The trade would have to be designated post June 1st to make much cap sense, but if that were the case it would free up $14.7 million in savings this offseason. Jones is coming off a brutal 2021 season, but he did earn an overall grade of 68.7 from PFF as recently as 2020, so he could make an impact. Freeing up cap space will be an important part of any trades considering the $40 million in dead money Atlanta took on by moving Ryan.

3. Jake Matthews

Jake Matthews isn't exactly the star he once was, but with overall grades of 75.5 and 71.3 from PFF in the last two seasons, the 30-year-old is clearly still a solid starting offensive lineman. A team can never have too many viable options up front, so the two years remaining on his current deal could entice plenty of contenders — even though his salary is a little rich. From the Falcons' side, moving Matthews would incur no dead money at all, so once again this move could bring big cap savings, a bit of draft capital, and no real long-term downside.

Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.