GM Terry Fontenot: Falcons 'Open,' Have Held Draft Trade Talks

Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot confirmed that his team has held discussions about trading both up and down in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

The Atlanta Falcons, owners of the No. 8 overall pick, are open for business ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Here at SI's Falcon Report, we reported that the Falcons are "working on" trading down - and general manager Terry Fontenot confirmed Tuesday there have been discussions about moving in both directions.

"We've already talked to a couple teams after us because we want to be open," Fontenot said. "We've talked to teams in front of us and behind us. We'll continue to have those conversations - we want to be flexible.

"It's our job just to be prepared for whatever happens."

Fontenot added that "a lot" of the trade conversations for the No. 8 selection have already been had, as calls that happen on the clock are often with teams that they've already discussed trading with.

"You're trying to work through all that stuff right now," Falcons coach Arthur Smith said.

Per Fontenot, the battle is trying to figure out whether a preferred player can be had a few slots later - something that's been particularly difficult this offseason.

"This is the most uncertain it's been," Fontenot said of knowing the plans of the teams picking in front of Atlanta.

And really, uncertainty is the name of the game ... though one thing is for sure: the Falcons have done their work on moving around and are far from a guarantee to stick at No. 8 come Thursday night.

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