If you're the Atlanta Falcons, enough is enough. Getting back to the playoffs this season will be paramount for a team that has seemingly had enough tools and talent to make it that far in seasons past. This year will be no different. Actually, the talent level has only increased, thanks to free agent pickup quarterback Kirk Cousins, among others through free agency and this year's draft.

Beginning with Matt Ryan's decline and subsequent signal callers, the Falcons have been more or less mediocre. Cousins should change that, but he's going to have to prove it. He won't be the only one with something to prove this season, however. Some guys will be looking to prove the worth of their contracts (Cousins isn't excluded from this either). While others will be looking to earn their next big deal.

Kirk Cousins, QB

Jun 3, 2024; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) shown in action on the field during Falcons OTA at the Falcons Training facility.
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Make no bones about it, when you sign a four-year, $180 million contract and will be 36 years old when the season starts, you have a lot to prove. Kirk Cousins comes to the Falcons with an immense amount of hype, though it doesn't just come from his resume. The Falcons have been looking for an answer at quarterback since Matt Ryan left two seasons ago. It's why Arthur Smith was fired when he could do no better than 7-10 for three straight seasons. And it's why Raheem Morris and the new staff double-dipped with Cousins in free agency and Michael Penix Jr. in the draft.

It's really a two-sided coin for Cousins. While he does have a resume with impressive numbers, none of it comes with postseason success. Cousins is just 1-4 in the playoffs, making it no further than the Divisional Round. So, now, in his mid-thirties and coming off one of the worst injuries a football player could suffer (Achilles tendon), he has the tall order of making the Falcons, who haven't been to the playoffs since 2017, a contender again.

Kyle Pitts, TE

Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts (8) celebrates after a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
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One of the Falcons' last four first-round draft picks was Kyle Pitts back in 2021. Pitts was drafted No. 4 overall, and while his rookie season was promising — 68 receptions, 1,026 yards, one touchdown — he's done little else since then. He was injured during the 2022 season, which cost him seven games. Last season, he scored the most touchdowns of his career to date, with three.

Considering how hyped Pitts was coming out of the University of Florida, the tight end's production should be way better than what he's put out. However, as mentioned, the quarterback play since Pitts came to Atlanta has been less than stellar. The team has averaged just 183 passing yards per game the past two seasons when they were going between quarterbacks Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder, and Taylor Heinicke.

If Cousins is healthy, there's not a better quarterback for Pitts. Cousins loves targeting tight ends if you look at his history. Last season, he targeted tight ends close to 30 percent of the time, according to CBS Sports. There are no more excuses for Pitts in 2024.

AJ Terrell, CB

AJ Terrell was the Falcons' last defensive first-round draft pick back in 2020. Since then, he's been one of the best in the secondary. He's set to be that again in 2024, if not by default. Minus Terrell and Jessie Bates III, this year's Falcons secondary is paper thin. So, what could Terrell have to prove?

Terrell is entering his contract year, this being the last year of his rookie deal. That means the corner will be looking for his next big payday, the one that essentially sets him up for his career. Whether that contract comes from the Falcons or another team when and if he hits the free agency market in the offseason, Terrell will be looking for a big year production-wise.

Darnell Mooney, WR

Outside of the Falcons going after Cousins — albeit a little too early — one of the other big free agent moves Atlanta made was getting former Chicago Bears wide receiver Darnell Mooney. Mooney won't be the No. 1 receiver on the team, nor was he expected to be. However, he is expected to improve what was a depleted wideout room in Atlanta.

His best season to date was back in 2021, where he caught 81 passes for 1,055 yards and four touchdowns. The last two seasons, he's fallen to under 500 yards and just three touchdowns. Overall, Mooney has to prove he is worth his new three-year, $39 million deal, with $26 million of that guaranteed, which some believed was a little steep for a WR2 that hasn't given the numbers to show it.