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After a 7-10 season, there are plenty of Atlanta Falcons free agent needs in the 2023 NFL offseason. The team can address many of these needs in the draft, but there is one specific need where the Falcons not only need a talent upgrade but a veteran presence as well. That’s why, of all the NFL free agents on the market, former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen would be the best signing.
Why Adam Thielen is the best Falcons free agent signing this NFL offseason
There is no shortage of holes on the Atlanta Falcons roster this NFL offseason. The team needs a left guard, right tackle, cornerback, wide receiver, and pass-rush help. They may even need a quarterback if the franchise isn’t sold on Desmond Ridder.
Putting the QB spot aside, as that is a whole different conversation, the team can (and should) upgrade along offensive and defensive lines and in the secondary through the draft.
However, what the Falcons need at wide receiver goes beyond just getting a good player. They also need experience and leadership in the receiver room and offensive meetings to help develop the team’s two young pass-catching stars.
In the last two drafts, the Falcons have used two top-eight picks on tight end Kyle Pitts and wideout Drake London.
In a vacuum, those were great picks.
Pitts had over 1,000 yards in his rookie season and made the Pro Bowl. He was on his way to another excellent campaign in 2022, too, before a knee injury knocked him out of the Falcons’ final seven games.
London has 72 catches for 866 yards and four touchdowns in his rookie season last year with shoddy quarterback play and looked like a future WR1.
Olamide Zaccheaus was OK as the team’s WR2 last season, catching 40 balls for 533 yards and three touchdowns. However, the team could upgrade this NFL offseason, especially since Zaccheaus is among the NFL free agents at the position right now.
Meanwhile, in the NFC North, the Vikings are parting ways with longtime receiver Adam Thielen to save $6.4 million in cap space.
Thielen is an incredible story, working his way from Division II Minnesota State to become a two-time Pro Bowler for his home-state team. However, the WR will turn 33 in August and his production has dipped in recent seasons.
He hasn’t had a 1,000-yard campaign since 2018, but he is still effective as a No. 2. In 2022, he posted 70 receptions for 716 yards and six TDs. And that is coming off of a 67-catch, 726-yard, 10-TD season the year before.
So, while the production is no longer Pro Bowl level, and the Vikings couldn’t justify Thielen’s $19.9 million cap hit next season. The franchise is paying QB Kirk Cousins big money and there is an extremely large Justin Jefferson extension on the way as well.
Thielen might not be valuable to the Vikings anymore at the price they would have had to pay, but the veteran wideout is still a valuable player at the right price. And now the Falcons can get him at the right price this NFL offseason.
And, with the lack of high-quality NFL free agents at the WR position this NFL offseason, Thielen immediately becomes a coveted asset for several teams. That is why he needs to be at the top of the list of potential Falcons' free agents this summer.
No matter who the Falcons QB is in 2023, that player will benefit immensely from having a third top-tier pass-catcher on the roster in Adam Thielen. The pass-catcher will get lots of single coverage with London and Pitts around, and down near the red zone, where Thielen has 30 touchdowns in the last three seasons, he’ll take attention away from the young TE and WR.
Adding a veteran to the Falcons' free agents mix is a smart move by the team for his production and because he can help in the development of Pitts and London. It is also a savvy win-now move, which may be counterintuitive for a 7-10 squad, but makes sense for Atlanta.
The NFC South is wide open after Tom Brady’s retirement, and even the New Orleans Saints adding Derek Carr doesn’t guarantee anything. If the Falcons add Thielen, draft well, and figure out the QB situation — either with a leap from Ridder, an NFL free agent signing, or maybe even Lamar Jackson — there is no reason the Falcons can’t win the division next season.
And with that as the goal for the coming campaign, there should be no other Falcons free agents at the top of the list before Adam Thielen.
