On Monday, the Atlanta Falcons gave Kirk Cousins a four-year, $180 million contract. On Tuesday, they gave their newest quarterback another weapon in the passing game. The club has agreed to terms with former Bears wide receiver Darnell Mooney on a three-year, $39 million contract, according to CBS Sports lead NFL insider Jonathan Jones.
Mooney is a much-needed addition to a Falcons wide receiver room that was quite thin heading into free agency outside of former first-round pick Drake London. Mack Hollins and Scotty Miller, who of the other top receivers within Atlanta's offense in 2023, are currently free agents. Now, Mooney will line up opposite London and join the likes of tight end Kyle Pitts and running back Bijan Robinson to form a fascinating lineup of skill-position players for Cousins to utilize.
The 26-year-old entered the NFL as a fifth-round draft choice of the Bears in 2020 out of Tulane. Out of the gate, Mooney showed plenty of promise as a top-flight pass catcher in the NFL, posting a 1,000-yard season in his second year in the league. However, as the Chicago passing game struggled in recent years, so did Mooney's production. He did not top 500 yards receiving in either of the past two seasons, including a 2023 campaign where he was limited to 414 yards receiving and one touchdown.
That said, Mooney has now positioned himself nicely to get his career back on track by jumping into an offense that is widely expected to be much more explosive in 2024 with the arrival of Cousins. On top of the upgrade at quarterback, Atlanta's array of pass-catching options at the skill positions could also free Mooney up to produce at a similar level we saw at the start of his career.
