That was fast. Falcons talks with teams about a Desmond Ridder trade will produce a deal; the Cardinals are finalizing an agreement to acquire the third-year quarterback, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reports.
Wide receiver Rondale Moore is coming back to Atlanta in the deal, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. One season remains on Moore’s rookie deal; two years are left on Ridder’s contract. No picks will be moved in this deal.
The Falcons made their Kirk Cousins signing official Wednesday, as the new league year began, and they still have backup Taylor Heinicke under contract on his two-year, $14MM accord. He is due a $5MM nonguaranteed salary. Heinicke would stand to represent some insurance and, if nothing else, an arm capable of leading the team through offseason workouts as Cousins finishes up his Achilles rehab. The Falcons have determined Ridder is no longer a fit.
Moore will join Darnell Mooney as new Falcons complementary wideouts; the ex-Bears 1,000-yard weapon signed a three-year, $39MM deal. A 5-foot-7 target used mostly near the line of scrimmage in Arizona, Moore is a former second-round pick. The slot player may be set to be a regular alongside Mooney and Drake London in Atlanta. Though, the Purdue alum had not maintained a grip on the Cardinals’ slot job. Greg Dortch usurped Moore during the 2023 season, as a new coaching staff changed the Kliff Kingsbury offense in which Moore was drafted to play.
Chosen 49th overall, Moore has shown some intriguing form as a tertiary target in a Cousins-guided offense. Although Moore has only cleared 10 yards per catch in one of his three seasons (2022), he has totaled 1,201 yards in that span. Moore posted back-to-back 400-yard seasons as part of DeAndre Hopkins-fronted receiving crews. New Cardinals OC Drew Petzing gave Moore 26 carries last season as well; he turned them into 178 yards and a touchdown. In coming from the NFC West, Raheem Morris and Falcons OC Zac Robinson have seen plenty of Moore.
Moore’s worst yardage total as a Cardinal (352, in 2023) would have been second among Falcon wideouts last year. Mack Hollins‘ 251 yards led the London wingmen; Hollins has since signed with the Bills. Ridder’s form contributed to that low number, and the Falcons also funneled targets to Kyle Pitts and the since-cut Jonnu Smith. They appear to be shifting to an offense that features more reliable wideouts and one primary receiving tight end. Minnesota and Washington largely operated this way with Cousins, who fed slot receivers K.J. Osborn and Jamison Crowder steady targets. This trade could benefit Moore as a 2025 free agent.
Ridder, 24, ranked 26th in QBR last season, finishing with a 12-12 TD-INT ratio and a 7.3 yards-per-attempt number. After the Cincinnati alum sat behind Marcus Mariota for much of the 2022 season, the Falcons gave him 17 total starts. Passing on a veteran arm last year, the Falcons put considerable faith in Ridder. But Arthur Smith, who ended up on the chopping block, benched him twice. Coming out of last season, word immediately surfaced Atlanta was aiming to upgrade at QB. Enter Cousins and another big contract.
Ridder’s rookie deal calls for $985K and $1.1MM base salaries over the next two seasons. That will pair well with Murray’s $46.1MM-per-year extension. The Cardinals traded Josh Dobbs to the Vikings at last year’s deadline; Dobbs is now a free agent. Arizona has 2023 fifth-rounder Clayton Tune signed for three more seasons.
It will be interesting to see if Ridder will be given the QB2 job or if Tune will be placed on even footing. Given Murray’s 2022 ACL tear and his history of short-term absences, the Arizona backup role may well lead to opportunities next season.
Player for player trade, not often that happens
Mac jonoes
I thought they gave a 6th for Mac?
Will be a player once the draft comes
Not if they trade that pick
I guess but this just a tad different. Youre trading for the pick not the player. Nobody knows who they are getting in the 6th round of a draft that’s over a month away.
Hjd
Love this deal for Atlanta. Probably a good deal for both guys though, definitely needed a change of scenery
We’ll it looks like the Cardinals are making room for that WR with the 4th pick in the draft. But with this GM hard to figure, could look to a draft day deal to move out of the slot to get a couple extra picks. Something tells me it could be interesting draft day.
Regardless if Moore stayed or went theyd be taking a receiver
Outside of McBride they dont really have much offensively.
They have an OK # 2 in Brown (talented but inconsistent) and a good # 3 in Michael Wilson but lack a true # 1 receiver
I prefer Dortch to Moore if I’m the Cards. That kid (Dortch) flat out plays his heart out every play. I love that.
Brown is a free agent. Maybe this hints toward bringing him back. Wilson is pretty solid looking.
That was so fast lmao I like this. Rondale is a burner and they’re drafting Marvin Harrison Jr anyway.
If I’m Atlanta, everything that I’m doing right now is to beat the Lions and the 9ers. Both of those teams have QBs that will kill you without applied pressure. You have to figure that with Cousins and those weapons, the Falcons will be able to keep up with any offense score-wise, but taking him from Minnesota gives Detroit a much clearer path to being an NFC contender-and competition. If the Falcons can become capable of beating those two teams in the playoffs, they’ll have likely have put themselves in a position to make the championship.
I agree although the nfl is unpredictable and any given Sunday someone can win or lose. But to add to your point my main threats(just my opinion lol I’m not an analyst) are Niners Rams Lions Packers Eagles Cowboys and Bucs. Everyone else is beatable or in rebuild
Low cost, low risk, and fills a need for both teams. Nicely done
I like the flyer both teams are taking. I liked Ridder’s odds of being a good backup coming out of the draft, and he’s cheap. This might mean Arizona is bringing back Brown and Dortch. I like both of them and Moore well enough, but it’s hard to roster three receivers that aren’t sniffing six foot.
Moore has always seemed like health and utilization were holding him back. He’s an interesting card to throw in Atlanta’s deck of skill position players.
I like his utility as a returner, despite being usurped by Dortch, and Moore has breakaway speed and agility to be used a bit underneath. The size is what holds him back going across the middle, but his agility would be great if he could find a use there. Right now, the size limits him a lot on a lot of routes, because otherwise he offers a lot of potential with a good pocket passer.
3 years 1200 yards – the math doesn’t make this receiver excite
*Rondale Moore trade.