Falcons To Release WR/ST KhaDarel Hodge
The Falcons are expected to release wide receiver/special teams ace KhaDarel Hodge, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
Hodge, 31, arrived in Atlanta in 2022 and took up core special teams duties with a rotational role on offense. After three straight one-year deals, a Pro Bowl in 2024 earned him a two-year, $5.5MM contract signed last offseason.
Hodge continued his special teams work in 2025 and joined the field goal block team for the first time in his career. His participation on offense was reduced to just six snaps per game, and a shoulder injury landed him on injured reserve in December, ending his season. Hodge finished with just three catches for 31 yards on offense and nine total tackles on special teams.
By releasing Hodge, the Falcons will save $2.64MM against the salary cap with a $625k dead cap charge, per OverTheCap. They will still have only $14MM in cap space heading into the new league year, though extending Kyle Pitts off the franchise tag would reduce his 2026 cap hit. Atlanta also have several restructure candidates who would allow them to free up more money entering free agency.
Hodge’s special teams experience should draw him some interest in free agency. He may not be a dynamic receiving threat, but he can eat run-blocking snaps on offense. However, his grades from Pro Football Focus (subscription required) have dipped in that regard in recent years. Plenty of teams still value consistency and stability on special teams; perhaps Hodge could follow former Falcons special teams coordinator Marquice Williams to the Raiders, where he is now a senior special teams assistant.
Falcons Place Franchise Tag On TE Kyle Pitts
FEBRUARY 24: The Falcons have officially applied the tag to Pitts, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
FEBRUARY 23: Kyle Pitts is set to spend a sixth season in Atlanta. The veteran tight end is in position to receive the franchise tag, as first reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. 
Pitts will not reach the market based on today’s news. Instead of testing free agency for the first time in his career, Pitts will remain with the Falcons for 2026. The tight end tag is projected to cost $16.32MM, and the team will carry that cost on its cap sheet unless a long-term deal is worked out.
[RELATED: NFL Franchise Tag Recipients Since 2010]
The possibility of the franchise tag has steadily increased in this case, with Pitts enjoying a strong 2025 season and boosting his market value along the way. The former No. 4 pick set a new career high in receptions (88) and touchdowns (five) this past year, bouncing back from a highly underwhelming 2022-24 stretch. Pitts has expressed interest in playing in new head coach Kevin Stefanski‘s offense, and he will be able to do so for at least one year. Many around the NFL expected a tag in this instance, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler confirms.
As a rookie, Pitts earned a Pro Bowl nod and topped 1,000 yards. The Florida alum was unable to match expectations beyond that point until his 2025 bounce-back campaign. Questions about inconsistency have been raised, and it will be interesting to see if a long-term commitment winds up being made by Atlanta. New president of football operations Matt Ryan was once Pitts’ teammate, putting him and the Falcons’ revamped group of decision-makers in an interesting position.
Atlanta is currently slated to have roughly $26.5MM in cap space, with a number of other priorities on offense to be sorted out this spring. A Kirk Cousins release is among them, while wideout Drake London and running back Bijan Robinson are each eligible for extensions. Keeping those two in the fold well beyond 2026 will be costly, especially if a multi-year commitment winds up being made to Pitts. At the age of 25, the second-team All-Pro could command a lucrative pact from Atlanta this year or outside suitors in 2027 in the event he reaches free agency.
Stefanski’s ability to improve an offense which ranked just 19th in scoring in 2025 will be key. Pitts figures to play a large role in that effort regardless of whether or not he agrees to a new Falcons pact over the coming months. July 15 represents the deadline for franchise-tagged players to work out a long-term pact with their respective teams.
Ian Cunningham: Falcons Will Release QB Kirk Cousins
The Falcons’ recent restructure of Kirk Cousins‘ contract added further to the widespread expectation a release would be coming. New general manager Ian Cunningham confirmed as much on Tuesday. 
While appearing on 92.9 The Game, Cunningham said (via Josh Kendall of The Athletic) Cousins will be released on the first day of the new league year. That means the Pro Bowl quarterback’s Atlanta tenure will come to an end on March 11. Cousins was set to see his 2027 salary (inflated to $67.9MM) vest in full on March 13, but to no surprise that will not be the case. This pending post-June 1 release will generate only $2.1MM in cap savings while creating $22.5MM in dead money charges (which can be spread across two years).
Cousins is therefore on track to reach free agency just before agreements with suitors can be finalized. The 37-year-old wishes to continue his career, and it will be interesting to see how his market takes shape in the near future. Especially if Daniel Jones remains in place with the Colts, free agency will not offer much in the way of starting-caliber veterans at the QB position. Cunningham later said (h/t Kendall) the Falcons will not be re-signing Cousins at a reduced rate, something which would have given them insurance while Michael Penix Jr. recovers.
Penix has yet to receive a full endorsement from Atlanta’s new regime – including Cunningham, president of football operations Matt Ryan and head coach Kevin Stefanski – and his Week 1 availability is uncertain at this time. Penix has endured up-and-down showings while atop the depth chart early in his NFL career, and the former first-rounder has a long injury history dating back to his days in college. Once Cousins is off the books, a new deal in his case will be needed or Atlanta will be in the market for an experienced addition through free agency or trade.
For Cousins, meanwhile, a return to Minnesota will increasingly be something to watch for over the coming weeks. The possibility of a Vikings reunion has picked up steam in league circles recently, and it would of course fit on a number of levels. J.J. McCarthy has missed considerable time during his first two years in the NFL, and his level of play when on the field has left plenty to be desired. That has left Minnesota in the market for QB1 competition, and Cousins would be a familiar face for head coach Kevin O’Connell and Co. after playing with the Vikings from 2018-23.
The lack of a long-term commitment on the part of Minnesota helped lead Cousins to head elsewhere in free agency. His four-year, $160MM Falcons pact seemed to put him on track for multiple years atop the depth chart, but it was quickly followed by the Penix selection. Since then, speculation has lingered about when a parting of ways would take place and leave Penix in place as the clear-cut QB1 (or a passer set to compete with a new arrival for the starting gig). That time will soon arrive.
Vikings WR Rondale Moore Dies At 25
10:05pm: As noted by Jay Skeeba of WHAS11, the Coroner’s Office in Floyd County, Indiana has autopsy has been scheduled for tomorrow. New Albany Police Chief Todd Bailey said Moore was found dead in a garage of a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound.
8:07pm: Rondale Moore passed away on Saturday, a Vikings source confirmed to Dianna Russini of The Athletic. The receiver was 25 years old. At this time, the team is in the process of gathering details surrounding Moore’s death. 
A second-round pick of the Cardinals in 2021, Moore entered the league coming off a college career which showcased plenty of potential. As a freshman at Purdue, he earned All-American honors while delivering strong production as a receiver and a returner. Moore only played another seven games in college, but his draft stock remained high.
Across three seasons in Arizona, Moore saw his playing time fluctuate. His production remained relatively consistent as he operated as a secondary option in the passing game while also seeing time as a runner. In March of 2024, Moore was traded to the Falcons in a straight swap for quarterback Desmond Ridder.
That set him up for a new chapter in his NFL career, but it did not prove to be possible. Moore suffered a season-ending knee injury mere months after being dealt to the Falcons. His rookie contract expired before having the opportunity to play for the team. Moore’s first trip to free agency generated interest and resulted in a one-year Vikings agreement.
While making his preseason debut for Minnesota, however, Moore suffered another major knee injury. That one also resulted in a season-long absence. After rehabbing the latest ailment, Moore was on track to test the market once again in March. In total, Moore played 40 combined regular and postseason games.
Jeff Ulbrich Wants Falcons To Re-Sign Kaden Elliss
After wrapping up a three-year, $21.5MM contract in 2025, Falcons pending free agent linebacker Kaden Elliss is in the market for a new deal. Elliss’ future in Atlanta is uncertain, but defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has made it clear he wants the team to keep the 30-year-old.
Speaking with the media last week, Ulbrich said he “would love Kaden back,” adding that he “gave us this really unique flexibility.” In Ulbrich’s estimation, it “would take more than one human being” to replace Elliss (via Tori McElhany of the team’s website).
It’s no surprise Ulbrich is high on Elliss, one of the Falcons’ most productive and reliable defenders in 2025. In his first year under Ulbrich, Elliss put together his third straight 17-start campaign and played a team-high 99.91% of defensive snaps. He recorded 107 tackles, 30 pressures, 10 tackles for loss, 10 QB hits, six passes defensed and 3.5 sacks.
Pro Football Focus rated Elliss a respectable 31st among 88 qualifiers at his position. He was at his best as a pass rusher, earning a fourth overall ranking. Only the Seahawks’ Tyrice Knight, the Eagles’ Nakobe Dean and the Commanders’ Bobby Wagner were better in that regard. The Jaguars’ Devin Lloyd rounded out the top five at the position.
Knight is still under contract, but Dean, Wagner and Lloyd all are on track to join Elliss as free agents next month. They could be among alternatives for the Falcons if they let Elliss walk. Losing Elliss would at least temporarily leave an unwanted void at linebacker alongside Divine Deablo, who also held his own in Ulbrich’s system in 2025.
Former Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot signed Elliss in 2023. Elliss’ future now lies in the hands of the rookie duo of president of football Matt Ryan and GM Ian Cunningham. It’s unclear if they are prioritizing Elliss, but the ringing endorsement from Ulbrich could make a second Falcons pact more likely for the seven-year veteran.
Reunion Between Kirk Cousins, Vikings Gaining Momentum?
The Vikings’ desire to add competition for quarterback J.J. McCarthy could lead them back to old friend Kirk Cousins. With the Falcons expected to release Cousins in the next few weeks, he could be free to sign anywhere soon.
There is “growing sentiment” among NFL executives in the QB market that Cousins will rejoin the Vikings, Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom reports. The move would reunite the 37-year-old with head coach Kevin O’Connell, who had success with Cousins in the past.
In 2022, the Vikings’ first season under O’Connell, Cousins threw for 4,547 yards and 29 touchdowns on his way his fourth and most recent Pro Bowl nod. The Vikings went 13-4 and won the NFC North, but a 9-7-1 Giants team upended them in the wild-card round.
Statistically, Cousins got off to an even better start in 2023. However, a Week 8 Achilles tear wound up ending his Vikings tenure.
With Cousins hitting free agency during the ensuing offseason, the Vikings tried but failed to re-sign him. They were unwilling to give Cousins full guarantees through 2025. That wasn’t going to fly for Cousins, who went on to accept the Falcons’ Godfather offer of four years, $180MM and $100MM in guarantees.
A month and a half after adding Cousins, Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot took another enormous gamble in drafting former Indiana and Washington signal-caller Michael Penix Jr. eighth overall. It came as a major surprise, and Cousins later revealed he may have re-signed with the Vikings had he known the Falcons would draft Penix.
“It felt like I had been a little bit misled or certainly if I had had the information around free agency, it would have affected my decision,” Cousins said last summer. “I had no reason to leave Minnesota, as much as we loved it there, if both teams were drafting a quarterback high.”
Despite Fontenot’s efforts, the Falcons still don’t have a clear answer at QB. Cousins struggled to regain form in the first year of his contract, leading head coach Raheem Morris to bench him for Penix ahead of Week 16. The Falcons were 7-7 and fighting for a playoff spot when Morris made the change. They finished 1-2 under Penix and missed the postseason for the seventh straight year.
Penix remained Atlanta’s starter entering last season, but it proved to be another rough season for the club. The Falcons went 8-9 again, and the oft-injured Penix was inconsistent before suffering a partially torn ACL in Week 11. The Falcons were 3-7 at the time. Cousins quarterbacked them to a 5-2 mark to wrap up the season, but it wasn’t enough to save Fontenot or Morris. Owner Arthur Blank fired the pair and replaced them with a new regime of president of football Matt Ryan, GM Ian Cunningham and head coach Kevin Stefanski.
A couple days after ousting Fontenot and Morris, the Falcons reworked Cousins’ contract, which signaled a forthcoming release. If Cousins is still a Falcon on the third day of the league year, he’ll earn a guaranteed $67.9MM for 2027. The restructuring also includes an $80MM poison pill for March 13, according to La Canfora. Considering the language in his deal, he’s as good as gone. The Falcons would take on a $35MM dead cap charge in designating Cousins a post-June 1 release, but they’d spread that over two seasons ($22.5MM in 2026, $12.5MM in ’27). The team would also save $2.1MM in cap room next season.
As is the case with the Falcons and Penix, the Vikings don’t know if they have the solution in their own 2024 first-round passer. Two picks after Penix came off the board, the Vikings selected McCarthy 10th overall.
A year after winning the national championship at Michigan, McCarthy missed his entire rookie campaign with a torn meniscus. The Vikings didn’t miss a beat without McCarthy, though, as veteran Sam Darnold revived his career during a 14-win outburst.
After their season ended with an ugly wild-card round loss to the Rams, the Vikings didn’t retain Darnold. They also couldn’t prevent late-season backup acquisition Daniel Jones from leaving for a chance to start in Indianapolis. Darnold walked in free agency for the Seahawks’ three-year, $100.5MM offer. One season later, Darnold and the Seahawks are Super Bowl champions. Jones had a terrific year in his own right before it ended with a torn Achilles in Week 14.
Meanwhile, the Vikings are coming off a nine-win season in which poor QB play torpedoed their chances of earning a playoff berth. McCarthy posted subpar numbers over 10 starts, and three injuries – a high ankle sprain, a concussion and a hairline fracture in his right hand – kept him out of seven games. The Vikings have since fired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, the GM who drafted McCarthy.
“They can say what they want publicly, but they have some serious questions about McCarthy,” one GM told La Canfora.
Vikings executive vice president Rob Brzezinski is now their interim GM, but O’Connell wields plenty of decision-making power. If he regards Cousins as an ideal veteran to place in the QB room with McCarthy, a reunion could be in store.
Offseason Outlook: Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons entered last season aiming to break a seven-year playoff drought. At the very least, finishing above .500 for the first time since 2017 would have represented a modicum of progress. It turns out that's all it would have taken to win an underwhelming NFC South in 2025. The Falcons still couldn't do it. While their subpar 8-9 record matched the top mark in the division, tiebreakers doomed the Falcons to a third-place finish behind the Panthers and Buccaneers.
The Falcons rattled off four straight victories to end the season, but it was a hollow winning streak for a team that was eliminated from playoff contention in Week 14. Fed up with another season of unsatisfactory results, owner Arthur Blank hit the reset button on his front office and coaching staff.
In an effort to lead Atlanta back to relevance, Blank lured 14-year Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan from his CBS gig with a newly created position: president of football. Ryan has since steered the Falcons to a new GM and head coach, but not everything has gone according to plan. With foundational edge rusher James Pearce Jr. facing five felony charges, Ryan has already encountered unexpected adversity in his first several weeks atop the Falcons' front office.
Coaching/front office:
- Fired general manager Terry Fontenot, head coach Raheem Morris
- Hired Matt Ryan as president of football
- Hired Ian Cunningham as general manager
- Hired Kevin Stefanski as head coach
- Hired Tommy Rees as offensive coordinator, replacing Zac Robinson
- Retained defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich
- Hired Craig Aukerman as ST coordinator, replacing Marquice Williams
- Hired Alex Van Pelt as QBs coach, replacing D.J. Williams
- Hired Bill Callahan as O-line coach, replacing Dwayne Ledford
- Hired Tanner Engstrand as pass-game coordinator
- Hired Robert Prince as wide receivers coach, replacing T.J. Yates
- Defensive pass-game coordinator Mike Rutenberg became Browns' DC
NFC Staff Updates: Vikings, Seahawks, Commanders, Falcons, Packers
The Vikings lost multiple position coaches this offseason, with tight ends coach Brian Angelichio taking the Steelers’ offensive coordinator job while offensive line coach Chris Kuper accepting the same position in Philadelphia. Last week, the team finalized their replacements for those coaches, per a team announcement.
Angelichio will be succeeded by Ryan Cordell, who spent the last four years as the Vikings’ game management coordinator/passing game specialist. He will continue in his new game management role as he transitions to his new job working with Minnesota’s tight ends. That group is currently led by T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver with second-year players Ben Yurosek and Ben Sims set to return in 2026.
To fill Kuper’s role, the Vikings promoted assistant offensive line coach Keith Carter, which in turn opened up his position. Longtime college coach Derek Warehime will fill that vacancy after three years at Coastal Carolina (OL coach/run game coordinator) and three at New Mexico (offensive coordinator/tight ends coach).
Here’s a look at other staff changes from around the NFC:
- Seahawks offensive line coach John Benton will be staying in Seattle in 2026, according to FOX13’s Curtis Crabtree. Benton interviewed for the team’s offensive coordinator job after Klint Kubiak‘s departure, but was passed over in favor of Brian Fleury. Coaches in Benton’s position may sometimes search for greener pastures with a team that offers a better chance at a future OC gig, but it is hard to argue with his decision to remain with the Super Bowl champs.
- LSU safeties coach Jake Olsen was reportedly set to take a job on the Commanders’ defensive staff under new DC Daronte Jones, he has reversed course. Lane Kiffin and the Tigers convinced Olsen to stay in Baton Rouge, per CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz.
- Wisconsin wide receivers coach Jordan Reid is expected to take the Falcons’ assistant quarterback job, according to Zenitz. Reid previously served as the WRs coach at Western Michigan; before that, he had internships with the Panthers and the Vikings.
- The Packers are also drawing from the college ranks. Former Auburn general manager and LSU director of player personnel Will Redmond is set to join Green Bay’s front office in a personnel role (via Zenitz).
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/17/26
One minor move to pass along:
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived: QB Emory Jones
Emory Jones initially made a name for himself at Florida in 2021, and he later spent time at Arizona State (2022) and Cincinnati (2023) before trying to make it as a professional. The QB caught on with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2024, and after not making the roster, he briefly joined the DC Defenders of the UFL.
He subsequently signed with the Falcons and stuck on their offseason roster in 2025. He was waived/injured after suffering a concussion during the 2025 preseason and eventually reverted to injured reserve. He ended up spending the entire season there.
Falcons ‘Likely’ To Tag TE Kyle Pitts?
Although he’s a pending free agent, Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts said in late January it would be “dope” to play for new head coach Kevin Stefanski. A potential trip to the open market is looming for Pitts, but it appears he will indeed work with Stefanski in 2026. Atlanta placing the franchise tag on Pitts is the “most likely outcome,” Josh Kendall of The Athletic writes.
[RELATED: Falcons Offseason Outlook]
The window to tag players opens at 3 CT Tuesday and will close March 3, giving the Falcons about two weeks to make a decision on Pitts. Stefanski, president of football Matt Ryan and general manager Ian Cunningham were not in place when the Falcons brought in Pitts as a first-round pick in 2021.They could nonetheless sign off on tagging Pitts for a projected $16.32MM.
A former Florida star, Pitts came off the board fourth overall, making him the highest-drafted tight end ever. Pitts has lived up to the billing at times, but probably not as often as former general manager Terry Fontenot was hoping for when he chose the 6-foot-6, 250-pounder.
The Falcons fired Fontenot after the season, ending his five-year run atop their front office. That set up a reunion with Ryan, who quarterbacked the Falcons for 14 years. With Pitts’ future up in the air, It’s worth noting Ryan and Pitts developed an on-field rapport in the latter’s rookie campaign. Pitts caught 68 passes and went over 1,000 yards (1,026) for the only time in his career that year, Ryan’s last season as a Falcon. Although Pitts scored just one touchdown, he earned his lone Pro Bowl invite.
Hamstring and knee injuries limited the normally durable Pitts to 10 games and 28 receptions in his second year. He hasn’t missed a game since then (nor did he in his first year), but Pitts’ numbers were closer to decent than great from 2023-24. He averaged 50 grabs, 635 yards and four TDs per season during that stretch.
Playing 2025 on his fifth-year option and a $10.88MM salary, Pitts enjoyed arguably the best season of his career at an opportune time. He set personal highs in catches (88), targets (118) and TDs (five). Pitts also finished with 928 yards en route to second-team All-Pro honors. However, there is skepticism in some corners that Pitts’ output would remain that strong on a multiyear contract.
“He didn’t really look like he really wanted it until it was time to get paid,” one personnel executive told Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom. “That’s a big red flag for me.”
If the Falcons are similarly hesitant to hand Pitts a sizable multiyear deal, it would still make sense to keep him around for a season with Stefanski. Known as a tight end-friendly coach, Stefanski had plenty of success in Cleveland with David Njoku from 2020-25. He and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees also helped third-round rookie Harold Fannin to a 72-catch, 731-yard, six-TD showing last season. Stefanski and Rees (now the Falcons’ OC) would likely expect even better results from Pitts.