The Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants are looking to rebound in 2024 from a disappointing 2023 campaign. The Giants finished 6-11 while the Falcons finished 7-10. Atlanta is hoping that the arrival of Kirk Cousins will immediately make them a contender in the NFC. The Giants are hoping that Daniel Jones can show the league that he can be a franchise quarterback.
However, these two franchises could pull off a relatively surprising trade.
The Atlanta Falcons And New York Giants Could Agree To QB Trade
Before the 2024 season, Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay listed a number of trades that would have a significant impact on the league. Taylor Heinicke of the Falcons, joining the Giants, is gaining some traction:
Atlanta Falcons receive: 2025 sixth-round pick
New York Giants receive: QB Taylor Heinicke, 2025 seventh-round pick
The New York Giants have yet another quarterback conundrum on their hands.
While Daniel Jones is in line to return as the team’s top option for the season-opener after missing significant time last season with a torn ACL, the team’s depth behind the shaky starter is concerning.
Big Blue had hoped to shore up the quarterback room by acquiring Drew Lock, but the team’s free-agency addition had a disastrous preseason debut.
The 27-year-old not only had the second-most inefficient performance of all 58 quarterbacks who dropped back at least seven times in the opening week of exhibition play, but he also suffered a hip pointer and strained oblique that will sideline him “a couple of weeks” per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan.
With Lock injured, the Giants will have to promote Tommy DeVito—a fan favorite for his heroics last year but still a raw developmental prospect—into the primary backup role behind Jones. It’s not an ideal situation for the G-Men, who slid to 6-11 last season largely due to quarterback woes.
If head coach Brian Daboll doesn’t believe in DeVito—and it doesn’t seem that he even believes in Jones considering the club desperately tried to land a quarterback prospect this offseason—the front office shouldn’t shy away from making a deal to bring in a more stable veteran option.
The trade market may be bleak at this juncture, but the Atlanta Falcons do have a serviceable quarterback who might be able to stabilize New York’s quarterback situation in Taylor Heinicke.
The 31-year-old started four games for the Falcons—his fourth team since entering the league in 2017—last year but failed to click with then-head coach Arthur Smith’s offense. With Atlanta signing Kirk Cousins and using a first-round pick on Michael Penix Jr., Heinicke is now slated to be buried on the depth chart as the No. 3, a status that makes him expendable.
While Heinicke fared poorly for Atlanta in 2023, he racked up 5,278 yards and 32 touchdowns in 25 games with the Washington Commanders’ between 2021-22. He posted a winning 12-11-1 record as a starter in that span and showed he can be a decent game manager with a quality roster around him.
Heinicke is not a player Big Blue would want to feature under center for any significant stretch, but for the low cost of a late-round pick swap, the Giants could fix up their depth behind an injury-prone starting quarterback.
Heinicke has significant playing experience in the league and could be a nice addition to their quarterback room. Additionally, Heinicke could keep the Giants afloat if they’re in a playoff race and Daniel Jones has to miss a short amount of time.
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