Dan Quinn, the head coach of the Washington Commanders, played a similar position with the Atlanta Falcons for more than five seasons. He may begin his career in Washington by supporting his old team. Owning the second overall pick in the NFL Draft in April, the Commanders must decide whether to trade down and get a big sum of money from a different team or utilize their pick to select a quarterback.
With the No. 8 overall pick, Atlanta makes sense as a trade partner since it needs a quarterback and is close to Washington’s selection. Quinn also has a good rapport with Raheem Morris, the new head coach of the Falcons, who worked as Quinn’s assistant for six years in Atlanta.
So should the parties try to reach an agreement?
For the Falcons, it makes perfect sense to advance. Although Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke have contracts for the next season, it seems unlikely that either will start the first game. Since there isn’t a great crop of signal callers projected to be available via trade or free agency, the draft becomes the most alluring option. Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot stated this summer that quarterback is the team’s main emphasis.
However, the quarterback class declines following the trio of Caleb Williams from USC, Drake Maye from North Carolina, and Jayden Daniels from LSU. J.J. McCarthy of Michigan is generally regarded as the next-best passer.
Although Daniels is the current Heisman Trophy winner and Maye has been a highly sought-after player for some time, Williams is the frontrunner to go No. 1 overall to the Chicago Bears. Basically, either Maye or Daniels would be a nice consolation prize, and it would be best if Atlanta could select one of them.
However, Washington is already in that scenario, and the Commanders seem eager for a change at quarterback following Sam Howell’s miserable end to the previous campaign. Why then trade out? Eighth overall, the Falcons’ second-round selection (43), a third-round pick (79) acquired via the Jacksonville Jaguars, and a 2025 first-round pick might be the focal points of a possible trade deal.
A trade like this, or any other that is comparable, may present Washington with an opportunity to overhaul its squad and improve the atmosphere surrounding the team’s future quarterback.
However, neither Quinn nor the Commanders are certain that they will ever find themselves in this situation again. To turn the round for a squad that finished 4-13 and missed the playoffs the previous three years, finding a long-term solution is essential. Therefore, even if Atlanta has the cash to entice Washington, at this point, the Falcons would find a deal considerably more tempting than the Commanders.
