Desmond Ridder speaks out about Falcons, Lamar Jackson rumors

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder reportedly never worried about losing the QB job to Lamar Jackson because he has assumed since Dec. 2022 that the job was his to lose. 

"Week 14, whenever that was, and going through the bye week, that’s when I was told then," Ridder said about when he began viewing himself as Atlanta's starter, per D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "From that point on, it was just going into the offseason, myself just taking it as if you’re the starter. ... That was my mindset from as soon as I stepped on the field for the first time down in New Orleans, was to obviously take it and run with it." 

Ridder entered the NFL when the Falcons made him a third-round pick in the 2022 draft, and he spent most of his rookie season as a backup behind Marcus Mariota. Across four games, all starts, Ridder tallied a 2-2 record and completed 63.5% of 115 passes for 708 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. 

As Ledbetter pointed out, Atlanta was repeatedly linked with a potential move for Jackson "with no declaration from the team" regarding the one-time NFL Most Valuable Player this winter. The Falcons ultimately signed former Washington Commanders quarterback Taylor Heinicke and then named Ridder their QB1. 

"We’ve been throwing this offseason for the past couple of weeks," Ridder said about Heinicke. "We’ve gotten to know each other real well. We’ve been in meetings the last couple of days to see where his head is at. We’ll get on the golf course here, soon. I’ll see what his game is like." 

It's widely believed the Falcons are among a handful of teams unwilling to give Jackson over $230M in fully guaranteed money he allegedly has wanted since Cleveland Browns starter Deshaun Watson signed his historic contract last year.