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Atlanta Falcons News & Rumors

Latest On Deshaun Watson

March 16th, 2022 at 7:31pm CST by Ben Levine

The Falcons’ meeting with quarterback Deshaun Watson has come to an end, and the team has reportedly submitted a trade offer to the Texans, reports Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com.

While Watson’s previous meetings with the Browns, Saints, and Panthers all took place in Houston, the QB’s meeting with the Falcons was in Atlanta. As Wilson notes, the Falcons were a late addition to the Watson sweepstakes, but there are reasons to be optimistic about their pursuit. Watson grew up in Georgia, and he has a relationship with assistant coach T.J. Yates, who played and coached for the Texans.

While the Falcons’ meeting may have featured a different location, the personnel was generally the same. All four teams had their owners, general managers, and coaches present for their respective meetings, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter).

Watson is finished speaking with potential suitors, but he’s still making a decision on his preferred path. Per Florio (on Twitter), the quarterback is “incredibly torn” about his decision and was impressed by all four presentations. This has made it “very difficult” to choose a destination, and there is no specific timetable for his decision.

The 26-year-old passer choosing Atlanta would mean the end of Matt Ryan‘s 14-year run leading the team. With the Falcons getting into the Watson mix late, they informed Ryan last weekend of their plans at quarterback, Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). The Browns did not brief Baker Mayfield on their Watson intentions.

Jarvis Landry To Visit Falcons

March 16th, 2022 at 4:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

After Tom Brady‘s successful recruiting job led Russell Gage to Tampa, Atlanta is short on wide receivers. The Falcons will meet with a Pro Bowl target soon, with Dianna Russini reporting Jarvis Landry will visit (Twitter link).

News of Landry’s visit comes on the same day of the Falcons’ Deshaun Watson meeting. Watson is believed to have requested the meeting, pointing to the Falcons at least being in this race. Given Matt Ryan‘s status, they are a surprise contender. Regardless of who plays quarterback, the team has extensive work to do at receiver.

[RELATED: Chiefs, Saints Interested In Landry]

Over the past year, the Falcons have seen their Gage-Julio Jones–Calvin Ridley trio dismantled. (Though, Jones is available, albeit after a rough Titans season.) Multipurpose playmaker Cordarrelle Patterson is also unsigned. The Falcons tendered RFA Olamide Zaccheaus but otherwise do not roster much at this position.

The Browns, who join the Falcons in attempting to acquire the Texans’ highly paid passer, released Landry after being unable to find a trade partner. Landry spent four years in Cleveland. While his best statistical work came in Miami, the former second-round pick added to his Pro Bowl count with the Browns. He played a major role in Cleveland snapping its near-two-decade playoff drought in 2020.

Landry, 29, is now a five-time Pro Bowler. However, last season’s 52-catch, 570-yard represented a new low point for the LSU product. He will aim to bounce back in 2022.

Falcons To Restructure Matt Ryan’s Deal?

March 16th, 2022 at 11:55am CST by Adam La Rose

MARCH 16, 11:55am: The Falcons have yet to process a restructuring of Matt Ryan‘s deal (Twitter link via Ari Meirov). That could be an indication that they’re serious about their pursuit of Deshaun Watson, who met with the Falcons today.

MARCH 11, 8:35pm: The man who was projected to have the highest cap number in the NFL in 2022 has re-worked his contract. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Falcons have restructured Matt Ryan‘s deal (Twitter link). 

As Rapoport details, the move creates $12MM in cap space for the upcoming season. While he was only due to make $23.75MM in 2022, Ryan’s cap number was slated to be over $48.66MM. That was a result of previous financial maneuvering, which contributed in no small part to the team’s current difficult cap situation. Ryan’s pact follows a similar pattern in its two remaining years.

Last month, owner Arthur Blank made it clear the team is putting together a succession plan for their franchise QB. The former third-overall pick will be 37 when the 2022 season starts, and it surprised many when the Falcons chose not to draft an heir apparent with the No. 4 selection last April.

Ryan has been the model of consistency throughout his 14 seasons in Atlanta, including, most notably, his MVP season in 2016 that led to a trip to the Super Bowl. Since then, his individual stats have been essentially on par with his career averages, although the team as a whole hasn’t been able to replicate that previous success. In 2021, the four-time Pro Bowler completed 67% of his passes for 3,968 yards and 20 touchdowns.

With this move, the Falcons will now have roughly $16.2MM to work with heading into free agency next week. One obvious use for the manufactured space would be to re-sign linebacker Foyesade Oluokun, who earned himself a pay raise after leading the NFL in tackles last season. It was recently reported that he could reach the $10MM per year mark on a new deal – a figure which would now be easier for Atlanta to accommodate.

Falcons To Meet With Deshaun Watson

March 15th, 2022 at 7:18pm CST by Zachary Links

7:18pm: Watson will meet with the Falcons on Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets. The 26-year-old quarterback is a Georgia native, heading to Clemson from Gainesville, Ga., and once worked as a Falcons ball boy. Watson and the Browns finished their meeting Tuesday.

We might be moving close to a trade resolution here, though that is obviously only part of this saga. The Texans appear to have approved trade compensation from the Browns, Panthers and Saints, Dianna Russini of ESPN.com tweets. The Watson meetings were contingent upon it. This would point to the Falcons having made a satisfactory offer as well. Watson reached out to the Falcons about a meeting, Russini adds (on Twitter).

10:55am: The Falcons have emerged as a sleeper team to trade for Deshaun Watson, according to league sources who spoke with Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (Twitter link). With that, they join the Panthers, Saints, and Browns on the known list of clubs in pursuit of the Texans quarterback. 

Watson is set to meet with the Browns today. As of this writing, the Saints and Panthers are the only clubs reported to have made an offer. Still, the Browns have done plenty of research on Watson – both before trading that fateful draft pick to the Texans and after.

Matt Ryan completed 67% of his passes for 3,968 yards and 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last year. Those numbers are more or less in line with his career averages, though the Falcons are now years removed from their last Super Bowl appearance.

The Falcons could see Watson as the solution, though Ryan just agreed to restructure his contract last week. It’s also possible that the Falcons are simply doing their due diligence and/or looking to raise the asking price for their NFC South rivals. The Panthers and Saints are both keenly interested in the embattled QB — even if the Falcons don’t trade for him, they could help to chip away at their draft capital.

Thanks to Ryan’s restructuring, the Falcons opened up an additional $12MM on their 2022 books. On the heels of that move, they hammered out a brand new $50MM+ extension with veteran lineman Jake Matthews.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/15/22

March 15th, 2022 at 6:58pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a look at the latest tender decisions from around the NFL:

RFAs

Tendered:

Non-tendered:

ERFAs

Tendered:

NFL Announces Compensatory Picks For 2022 Draft

March 15th, 2022 at 5:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

The NFL has awarded compensatory draft picks for teams in the 2022 draft. These picks are awarded to the teams that suffered the most significant free agent losses during the 2021 offseason.

This year, the NFL awarded 39 comp picks. The comp pick formula assigns picks to franchises who suffered the largest net losses, so teams that signed multiple free agents have a lesser chance of receiving picks.

This year’s formula also includes the changes made last year, when teams began receiving third-round comp picks due to the hiring of minority head coaches and general managers. Seven such picks were awarded this year. The 49ers landed two additional third-rounders this year, obtaining the extra selections for the Jets’ 2021 Robert Saleh hire and the Dolphins hiring Mike McDaniel this year. Miami’s McDaniel hire will give San Francisco another third-rounder in 2023.

The Chiefs obtained a third-rounder for the Bears’ Ryan Poles GM hire, while the Browns landed a third because of the Vikings’ Kwesi Adofo-Mensah GM hire. The Ravens collected their second third-round for the Texans’ 2021 David Culley hire; Culley has since been fired. The Saints and Rams obtained one apiece after seeing the Falcons and Lions hire minority execs Terry Fontenot and Brad Holmes as GMs in 2021. New Orleans and Detroit also landed thirds because of players given high-value contacts last year (Trey Hendrickson and Kenny Golladay, respectively).

Here is the full list of 2022 compensatory selections:

By round:

Round 3: Lions (No. 97 overall), Saints (98), Browns (99)*, Ravens (100)*, Saints (101)*, 49ers (102)*, Chiefs (103)*, Rams (104)*, 49ers (105)*

Round 4: Steelers (No. 138), Ravens (139), Packers (140), Ravens (141), Rams (142), Titans (143)

Round 5: Cowboys (No. 176), Lions (177), Cowboys (178), Colts (179)

Round 6: Rams (No. 211), Rams (212), Falcons (213), Chargers (214), Cardinals (215), Colts (216), Lions (217), Rams (218), Titans (219), 49ers (220), 49ers (221)

Round 7: Chargers (No. 254), Chargers (255), Cardinals (256), Cardinals (257), Packers (258), Chiefs (259), Chargers (260), Buccaneers (261), 49ers (262)

By team:

San Francisco 49ers (5)
Los Angeles Rams (5)
Los Angeles Chargers (4)
Arizona Cardinals (3)
Baltimore Ravens (3)
Detroit Lions (3)
Dallas Cowboys (2)
Green Bay Packers (2)
Indianapolis Colts (2)
Kansas City Chiefs (2)
New Orleans Saints (2)
Tennessee Titans (2)
Atlanta Falcons (1)
Cleveland Browns (1)
Pittsburgh Steelers (1)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1)

* = special compensatory selection

Falcons Release Tyeler Davison

March 15th, 2022 at 3:56pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Falcons have made a cost-cutting move along the defensive front. The team announced that they have released defensive tackle Tyeler Davison.  

The move incurs a dead cap charge of roughly $1.2MM, but creates just under $3.7MM in savings. The 29-year-old was a fifth round pick of the Saints in 2015. He spent his first four seasons in New Orleans, then went to the rival Falcons on a one-year deal in 2019.

That contract was followed up by a three-year, $12MM deal with Atlanta one season later. He accepted a pay cut in year two of the pact, a sign that the team may have been willing to cut ties, as they have now done. In 2021, he registered 30 tackles in 12 games.

Most notably for Davison, his playing time decreased significantly as the year wore on. He was on the field for a career-low 358 snaps, which represented just 43% of the team’s defensive plays. Playing time was opened up for Anthony Rush at the position.

The move is the second such one for the Falcons’ front seven, as last month, the team parted ways with edge rusher Dante Fowler. Neither move should be considered surprising, given the fact that Atlanta ranked 27 in the league against the run (132 yards per game) and last in sacks (17).

Falcons To Re-Sign Younghoe Koo

March 15th, 2022 at 12:41pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Falcons are set to retain one of the league’s best kickers. According NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the team is re-signing Younghoe Koo to a five-year, $24.25MM extension (Twitter link). He adds that there is $11.5MM in guaranteed money. 

[RELATED: Falcons Eyeing Deshaun Watson]

At an average value of $4.85MM per season, the deal ranks second in the league amongst kickers, behind only Justin Tucker‘s at $5MM. It marks quite the raise for Koo, who was a pending restricted free agent.

Coming into the league as a UDFA, Koo started his career with the Chargers. After only four games there, and a brief stint on the Patriots’ practice squad, he landed in Atlanta. That has certainly turned into a worthwhile decision for both sides.

The 27-year-old has become of the top kickers in the game over three seasons with the Falcons. In 2021, he ranked third in the league with a field goal percentage of 93.1%. For the first time in Atlanta, he was also perfect on extra point attempts, going 30-for-30. Over the course of his career, Koo has only missed 14 total kicks out of 191 combined attempts.

While there are plenty of question marks surrounding the Falcons’ offense, they will at least be retaining a core element of their scoring for the foreseeable future.

Falcons, Jake Matthews Agree To Extension

March 14th, 2022 at 9:36am CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons and Jake Matthews have agreed to terms on a three-year extension (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The new pact furnishes the left tackle with $52.5MM over the first three years with an average of $18.5MM per annum. 

[RELATED: Falcons Restructure Ryan’s Contract]

The deal makes sense for both sides. Matthews picks up additional dollars and security while the Falcons gain some much-needed cap space. It’s a big step up for Matthews, who previously played on a five-year, $75MM contract. At the time, that deal made Matthews one of the three highest paid left tackles in the league. Now that the market has advanced, Matthews had to be taken to the next tier.

Matthews has a perfect attendance record across eight NFL seasons, save for one missed game as a rookie. Last year, the Texas A&M product finished with a 71.4 overall grade, per the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus. However, in years past, he’s placed as one of the top-ranked LTs in the league.

The Falcons also gained some breathing room last week by restructuring Matt Ryan‘s contract. With help from their longtime quarterback, Atlanta gained an extra $12MM in cap space for 2022.

Latest On Chandler Jones’ Market

March 11th, 2022 at 1:40pm CST by Adam La Rose

While the Cardinals have a desire to keep him, Chandler Jones is expected to have plenty of suitors if he hits the open market. According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, no fewer than six teams are interested in bringing in the veteran pass rusher. (Twitter link). 

[RELATED: Cardinals Want To Re-Sign Chandler Jones]

Schultz lists the Seahawks, Broncos, Dolphins, Falcons, Bills and Eagles as teams at least eyeing the two-time All-Pro. At 32, age will surely be a consideration with regards to the length of any deal, but salary should not be an issue. Schultz reports that Jones “will command at least $15-18MM”. A general manager he spoke to on the matter described Jones as “a guy who keeps himself in great shape”. That, coupled with the scarcity of such accomplished edge rushers, should leave him with any number of offers.

Not surprisingly, he also adds that the former Super Bowl winner is seeking to join a contender. The aforementioned teams cover a wide range in terms of expectations for the upcoming season, and – just as importantly – are in drastically different salary cap situations. His 10.5 sacks in 2021 show that a medium-term investment could put teams over the top in terms of a Super Bowl run, or help accelerate a re-tooling process at the position for squads aiming to take a step forward.

When asked about hitting the market, Jones said, “it’s not about money at all. Where I am in my career, I’ve gotten contracts, I’ve gotten the Super Bowl, but I think scheme is huge. Or for me, winning more championships… I will say I want to go to a place that maximizes my talents”.

While Jones will need to compete with the likes of Von Miller and a very highly-regarded draft class in terms of other notable sack artists, he seemingly won’t have an issue cashing in sometime in the very near future.

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