Falcons GM Terry Fontenot Completes Reset After Calvin Ridley Trade

Calvin Ridley was traded Tuesday, leaving just a handful of players from the 2019 Atlanta Falcons roster.

Jeremy Brener | Nov 3, 2022

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Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons look very different from three years ago and appear to be officially in a new era after trading wide receiver Calvin Ridley to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Tuesday.

The move ends a two-year run of deals that said goodbye to Julio Jones, Matt Ryan, Deion Jones and Ridley ... all of whom were considered at one point to be a franchise cornerstone.

With all of those players in new cities, Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot can officially start fresh.

On his blank canvas, to which he's added Kyle Pitts, Drake London and Richie Grant among other young talents, the Falcons look like a brand new team. And it's off to a good start. Atlanta sits atop the NFC standings with a 4-4 record.

By trading Ridley, the Falcons now have over $68 million in cap space, according to Spotrac. Only the Chicago Bears have more money to spend.

The Falcons are using this season to build a foundation, but teams that strip down to the bare bones usually don't perform very well. However, Atlanta finds itself in first place halfway through the season.

Now that the past is behind the Falcons, they can officially move forward to build their best possible team to try and reach the mountaintop for the first time in franchise history.

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Published Nov 3, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.