The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday at 4 p.m., and several names such as Tampa Bay's Vincent Jackson, Oakland's Justin Tuck, and even Atlanta's Osi Umenyiora have been mentioned in trade rumors.
Falcons owner Arthur Blank always is looking for ways to improve his team. But he doesn't appear to be a big proponent of in-season trades.
"I think in general, the personnel department and the coaching department, they have an extended period of time, starting during the season, where they are constantly evaluating themselves and constantly evaluating their talent, player-wise and coaching-wise, and reflecting on what changes they can make as they go into the following year," Blank explained to ESPN.com. "And obviously, it's a long offseason, both through free agency and the draft, to prepare for the following season.
"Once the season starts, it's not easy to make those changes because the chemistry is kind of set in the locker room. You can move it and change it and the coaches can motivate it differently. But players, they are used to working in certain schemes both offensively and defensively. It's not as easy to drop players in and out as it might be in other sports. If you're playing golf, you might be able to drop someone else into the foursome to go out and play because chemistry doesn't make a lot of difference. In this sport, it makes a huge difference."
Coach Mike Smith still believes the Falcons can make a big turnaround in the second half of the season so trading away players at this point might be viewed as a sign of waving the white towel.
According to ESPN Statistics and Information, the Falcons currently have $3,678,774 in cap room. That would indicate the Falcons would be sellers rather than buyers if they're involved in any trade by 4 p.m.