Falcons wanted 4th round pick for EDGE Takkarist McKinley

We’ve all been speculating about the possibility for the Falcons to trade veterans as the trade deadline approaches. Many names have been brought up over the past few weeks—including C Alex Mack, RB Todd Gurley, and S Keanu Neal—but the only player that seemed to generate any substantiated interest was former first-round pick Takkarist McKinley. There was buzz late last week about Atlanta being interested in moving McKinley, and speculation that he was held out of Thursday night’s game to protect his health.

There wasn’t much movement over the weekend until we got a tweet from Takk himself declaring that he would not be traded by the Falcons. Apparently, Atlanta was taking calls about McKinley but had declined all offers. Today, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo provided some additional context around Takk’s potential trade.

The Falcons were reportedly seeking a 4th round pick in exchange for Takk—a pretty high price to pay for a player who has very limited production in his career and has spent most of the 2020 season injured. When McKinley has been healthy, he’s been arguably the Falcons best pass rusher outside of Grady Jarrett, but those healthy stretches have been exceedingly rare this season.

With Atlanta apparently holding firm on the demand for a 4th round pick, it seems very unlikely that Takk will be traded before the deadline. Garafolo also mentions that he believes Atlanta is hoping to get back a better compensatory pick in 2022 than what they’re currently being offered by teams. There isn’t much time left today for a trade to happen, and at this point, I wouldn’t expect there to be one.

What are your thoughts on the potential trade of Takkarist McKinley? Would you have been willing to move Takk for less than a 4th, or did the Falcons do well to hold to that number?