re: What were the Falcons thinking?

Yeah and for every Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes there’s a Trey Lance or a Paxton Lynch.

I think the causation is more that often when guys are sitting for a year or more it’s because they’re on a stable team with a good coach and good supporting cast. If you happen to have that your rookie year, think Lamar Jackson or Russell Wilson, you can succeed right away as a rookie.