The Atlanta Falcons made some interesting moves at the NFL trade deadline, most notably dealing safety Jessie Bates III to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for future draft compensation. On Wednesday, it was reported by Jordan Raanan of ESPN that the New York Giants had checked in on the availability of Atlanta's best player, running back Bijan Robinson, and were rebuffed.
Now, Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski has shared his reaction to that rumor.
“No,” said Stefanski when asked if there was ever a chance that Robinson would be traded, per Josh Kendall of The Athletic on X, formerly Twitter.
It's unclear what the Giants were prepared to offer for Robinson, but it likely would have had to be an otherworldly package in order for the Falcons to even consider such a proposition.
Robinson is far and away the most talented and important player on Atlanta's roster, with the Falcons' entire offensive scheme built around his talents both as a running back and a wide receiving threat, so trading him would essentially mean gutting the entire core of the offensive identity.
Of course, Atlanta hasn't exactly proven successful on the field during Robinson's tenure with the team, as the Falcons currently sit at 3-6 and are on track to miss the playoffs for an astounding tenth straight season. However, Robinson certainly isn't the culprit for that, and trading away the team's lone beacon of hope would not sit well with a fanbase that has already grown exasperated with the team's lack of forward movement.
In any case, the Falcons will next hit the field on Sunday at home vs the Kansas City Chiefs.