Falcons -owner clarifies the position on the $ 230 million contract of Deshaun Watson in the midst of NFLPA Collusion hearing

Early 2022, the Atlanta Falcons Was not only interested in Desshaun watson; They were all in. They rolled out a complete charm offensive. Owner Arthur BlancoGM Terry Fontenotand head coach Arthur Smith Meeted the Quarterback, a resident of Georgia and former Falcons Ball Boy, hoping for a return home. By most accounts, including ESPNAtlanta was a leader. But when the Browns Watson offered a fully guaranteed $ 230 contract, the largest in the NFL history, the Falcons brake on the brakes. Emotion met cold things. The dream immediately crumbled.

That was not just a number. It was a statement and a grenade in the NFL contract system. Blank later testified in an NFLPA Collusion complaint from 2024 that the Deshaun Watson Mammoet deal was. He said, “You have to leave that to (Browns owners) Jimmy and Dee Haslam to make their own judgment. The fact that it is $ 80 million above the highest other contract that has ever been guaranteed in the history of the competition (that is, 102 years old says a lot.“

He then clarified his position that the deal was outside the borders for them. Maybe the Falcons were not ready. Blanco added: “Whether most of the teams in the NFL or another team would have promised for that, I don’t know. That is certainly a huge commitment.“Behind closed doors, the NFL Management Council owners warned, via a real PowerPoint performance, to re -give such deals.

Blank remembered the meeting, but claimed that it had not influenced his team’s approach. The Falcons denied collusion. They got Desshaun watson difficult. And then when the money became nuclear. The arbitration report of the NFLPAReleased in June 2025, confirmed that League Leadership teams encouraged to prevent fully guaranteed deals after the Watson. But arbitrator Christopher Droney ruled that clubs did not work together formally. The Falcons have received legal coverage, but the court of public opinion? Different story. They were the team that came close, felt the fire and walked away.

The bigger problem was the lost chance. If Atlanta Watson had landed, they would probably never have chased Kirk Neven and Nichters in 2024. Never prepare Michael Penix Jr. Never burn two full seasons Desmond Knight. For better or worse, that was non-surgical in the next three years. And fans know. But they also failed to build a strong team by not gaining a popular MVP quarterback!

Falcons missed another star after Deshaun Watson

If the Watson -Saga was a slow movement that ended in a financial break, the response of the Falcons on Lamar Jackson was a flat spirit. In March 2023 Jackson came on the market under the non-exclusive tag. For a moment it seemed possible that a daring team could intervene. Atlanta also discussed it internally and then said publicly that it would not chase him within 24 hours.

The Falcons had a striking QB need and dop space. Nevertheless, they gave a 28-year-old MVP that was good in his career in a total of 166 touchdowns. Arthur Blank later testified that the injury history of Jackson (10 competitions missed in 2021–22) and CAP restrictions influenced the decision. But it smelled of a little more. Teams had just witnessed the Deshaun Watson -Hoop, Public Record, Legal Problems and Contract Chaos. Jackson, represented by himself, insisted on Watson level guarantees.

The Falcons played it safely. Too safe, some would claim. Lamar eventually received a five -year -old deal of $ 260 million from Baltimore, $ 185 million guaranteed, still short of Watson. But the silence of most teams, especially the Falcons, raised eyebrows. And again, Atlanta let a transforming Quarterback pass them by, for reasons that were more about politics and pressure than pure footballogics.

So where does this leave atlanta? They have their husband in cousins ​​for now. They have prepared their future in Penix. But their track record with Elite Quarterbacks tells a story about fear. Twice they were able to land game-changing QBs. Both times they said no. Maybe they avoid a bullet. Or maybe they missed their moment.