With their new starter in place in Kirk Cousins, the Atlanta Falcons traded quarterback Desmond Ridder to the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday.
The Falcons acquired wide receiver Rondale Moore in return, with the deal pending physicals.
Atlanta also announced the re-signing of offensive lineman Storm Norton and wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge to one-year deals. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The Falcons selected Ridder in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft with the hopes he could replace Matt Ryan as the franchise quarterback. But in two seasons, he owns an 8-9 record in 17 starts (19 games) and has completed 64.0 percent of his passes for 3,544 yards with 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Ridder, 24, had an up-and-down season in 2023, being replaced as the starter twice by Taylor Heinicke, only to return when Heinicke suffered injuries to a hamstring and ankle.
Kyler Murray returns as the starting quarterback for the Cardinals, who traded primary backup Joshua Dobbs to the Minnesota Vikings last Oct. 31.
Moore, 23, was the Cardinals’ second-round pick and No. 49 overall in 2021. He made a modest impact in his first three seasons, appearing in 39 games (23 starts) with 135 catches for 1,201 yards and three touchdowns. He gained a career-high 435 yards as a rookie.
Norton, 29, made three starts at right tackle and appeared in 14 games in his first season with Atlanta in 2023.
He has appeared in 50 games (21 starts) with the Minnesota Vikings (2018), Los Angeles Chargers (2020-22) and Falcons.
Hodge, 29, played in all 17 games (four starts) for the Falcons in 2023 and contributed 14 catches for 232 yards.
He has 57 receptions for 864 yards and one touchdown in 89 games (seven starts) with the Los Angeles Rams (2018), Cleveland Browns (2019-20), Detroit Lions (2021) and Falcons.
–Field Level Media
