The Falcons will likely have Matt Ryan and Julio Jones as their top two offensive players once again in 2021. But that’s not going to stop them from planning for the future.
In his first offseason, General Manager Terry Fontenot has said before that like Ron Wolf, he plans to always bring in a quarterback. But despite also having someone like Calvin Ridley in tow, Fontenot told Albert Breer of SI.com that Atlanta plans to bring in wide receivers, too.
“The question I get a lot is, ‘Hey, would you be willing to draft a quarterback, would you be willing to draft a receiver, despite how strong your receivers are or where you are with Matt Ryan?’” Fontenot said. “And yes. Yes, yes, yes. We’re definitely going to acquire at both of those positions, and we’re going to work hard to bring in competition. But I hold both those guys in high regard.”
Just because there’s competition doesn’t mean Ryan or Jones will be supplanted as the Falcons’ top guys anytime soon. But Ryan turns 36 in May. Jones just turned 32 in February and played only nine games in 2020 due to a lingering hamstring injury.
Both players could have plenty more left in the tank. But Fontenot seems to realize that building a sustained contender in Atlanta means the Falcons must explore every avenue to improve the team.