Atlanta Falcons attempted draft day trade with Arizona Cardinals

After the surprising selection of quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall, Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said he attempted to return in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

A few days later, video surfaced showing the Falcons attempting a trade with the New York Jets to grab the No. 10 pick, an effort that ultimately went unrewarded.

But obviously, Fontenot kept trying.

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The Arizona Cardinals, who had the 27th pick going into the first quarter, released footage Tuesday as part of the “Flight Plan” series from inside their war room on draft night.

Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort took a call from Fontenot before Arizona selected defensive lineman Darius Robinson.

“Hey Terry, we’re going to pick a player,” Ossenfort said on the call. “Unless we get completely destroyed here over the next three picks, Terry, we’ll probably pick.”

After the second night of the draft, in which the Falcons selected defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro and edge rusher Bralen Trice, Fontenot revisited Atlanta’s first-round trade effort and revealed he had several pass rushers that he had in mind.

The trade ultimately did not materialize, but it was not without effort on the part of Fontenot and staff.

“We were really trying to do it,” Fontenot said. “We called every team, from early 9 all the way up to 32. And we were very aggressive in doing that. We felt like there were times where we were close. We made some pretty big offers.

“We had deeper discussions with some teams. It obviously didn’t work out, but we were aggressive.”

Fontenot added that Atlanta is interested in other players outside of the defensive line group, but tackling the pass rush is certainly a priority. Nonetheless, Fontenot said he and head coach Raheem Morris are “still excited” about how the situation has played out.

During OTAs and mandatory minicamp, Orhorhoro and Trice each spent time working with the second team’s defensive line. How their future pans out will ultimately determine whether the Falcons dodged a bullet in the draft or whether they will look back with remorse.

Regardless, the cards fell the way they did – even if Fontenot tried to make them play out differently.