Take heart, the offseason is nearly upon us

There are some dates you need to know

Atlanta United, at the very least, is about to get interesting again. The end of the season is, mercifully, on its way. And the expectation is that we’ll find out about several big decisions quickly. Around this time next week, we’ll likely have a clear idea of Ronny Deila’s future with the club.

One big domino has already fallen. Brad Guzan announced his retirement earlier this morning. That’s not a major surprise, but it is a reminder that this team should look very different by the start of 2026.

With that in mind, here are the dates you need to know as Atlanta tries to rebuild after the worst season in club history.

Wednesday, November 26 – Club Deadline to Exercise Options and Submit Bona Fide Offers (1 p.m. ET)

By this date and time, we’ll know for sure which options Atlanta has picked up and which options they’ve declined. We might know far earlier than this to be honest. Atlanta has no reason to waste time with their roster announcements.

The players with option years are:

• Josh Cohen

• Matt Edwards

• Jay Fortune

• Ronald Hernandez

• Jayden Hibbert

• Brooks Lennon

• Will Reilly

• Jamal Thiare

• Cayman Togashi

This list isn’t as long as it could have been after the departures of Luis Abram, Derrick Williams, Edwin Mosquera (they’ll technically pick him up to continue his loan), Efrain Morales and Guzan. The picture seems relatively clear now.

In my view, the definite returners are Edwards, Fortune, Hibbert, Reilly and Thiare.

We’re looking at four supplemental spot guys who have all contributed this season, and a backup striker that’s earned starter’s minutes. The only reason they might let Thiare go is if they decide they truly need the extra salary cap space. There’s no telling how much he’ll be paid in an option year, but there tends to be a drop-off in pay more often than there’s a pay bump.

The maybes are Cohen, Hernandez and Togashi.

Atlanta will need an experienced backup at goalkeeper simply because Hibbert is relatively unproven and very young. Maybe they shouldn’t look further than Cohen, who cost a reasonable $328k this season. Even with a potential drop off in pay, that might be too much and Cohen may just not have the juice. I’ll be very curious to see what Atlanta does.

Hernandez is interesting for a handful of reasons. He’s a backup-caliber guy at best who displaced Brooks Lennon in the starting lineup in the worst season in club history. He only cost $290k this year and has showcased some versatility throughout his time in Atlanta. But he’s just not that effective of a player. He is a professional locker room presence, though. And him and Miguel Almiron appear to be close. That might be enough to bring him back.

Togashi is a backup that costs nothing against the cap. With a long, long to-do list this offseason, you probably just bring him back and don’t worry about finding a third striker who will likely never see the field.

I don’t expect Lennon to be back.

He’s been a…divisive figure amongst the fanbase for a while and, this year, he lost his starting job outright. I don’t expect Atlanta to pick up the option of a backup who made $740k this year. It’s best for both parties to move on here.

Wednesday, December 10 – Free Agency Opens (1 p.m. ET)

We’ve outlined a few potential options already. This is a club that could certainly use a few more proven MLS guys.

Thursday, December 18 – 2026 MLS SuperDraft (TBD)

Jayden Hibbert is the latest SuperDraft pick to become a starter for Atlanta. Don’t count it out just yet.

And other things to keep an eye on…

It will be interesting to see if there are other organizational changes at the end of the year. Atlanta will need to hire at least one new scout after the departure of Jamie Henderson earlier this year. There could potentially be more changes to the scouting department on the way.

There are also two buyouts on the table. Tristan Muyumba, Stian Gregersen and Saba Lobjanidze all feel like prime candidates if Atlanta can’t find a taker for them. Even Alexey Miranchuk is a possibility here.

Beyond that, practically no one is safe from a trade or transfer. Anything and everything is on the table after this season.