Three Atlanta Falcons quarterback options for 2026

What makes the situation even more eerie is that the Falcons do not own a 2026 first-round pick, meaning finding a quarterback in the draft is going to be next to impossible. Atlanta is almost certainly going to have to go shopping for a signal-caller this offseason, and—as always—the free agent quarterback market isn’t exactly inspiring.

Daniel Jones

Jones will undoubtedly be the biggest free-agent quarterback available, and you’d have to imagine the Colts will do everything in their power to retain him after the season he’s had. He has cooled off a bit after a scorching start — an injured fibula has played a major role in that — but he’s still completing over 67% of his passes for more than 3,000 yards, 19 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Perhaps there’s a scenario where Indianapolis isn’t willing to meet his price after this resurgent campaign, allowing the Falcons to swoop in similarly to how the Seahawks landed Sam Darnold last offseason, a move that’s worked out incredibly well for Seattle.

Kirk Cousins

Unfortunately, we have to at least acknowledge the possibility that a lack of options forces the Falcons to keep Kirk Cousins. The veteran has looked serviceable in his two starts since the Penix injury, throwing for 433 yards and three touchdowns compared to just one interception. The issue, of course, is the contract. The Falcons are on the hook for $57.5 million if they keep him on the roster in 2026. They could restructure that figure down, but doing so would only kick the can down the road with a declining quarterback approaching 40. Conversely, they can cut Cousins with a post-June 1 designation and save $35 million against the cap. He would have to play like Superman over the next few weeks for Atlanta to seriously consider keeping him next year.

Mac Jones

The most realistic — and frankly, the most appealing — option is Mac Jones. The former first-round pick lost himself in the mess that was New England during Bill Belichick’s final years, but he began rebuilding his image in Jacksonville last season before completely flipping the script in 2025 with the 49ers. In eight games filling in for Brock Purdy, Jones threw for over 2,000 yards with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions. He has one more year on his contract at just $2.8 million in 2026, and as long as Purdy is healthy, you’d think San Francisco would be willing to trade Jones to the highest bidder this offseason.