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Atlanta Falcons News & Rumors

Falcons Sign Shareef Miller

June 17th, 2021 at 8:51am CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons have signed edge rusher Shareef Miller, according to agent David Canter (Twitter link). Originally a fourth-round Eagles pick, Miller has played in one regular-season game to date.

The Birds waived Miller last summer, leading him to the Panthers. He was later released, freeing him up to return to the Eagles as a practice squad player. The Cardinals inked him to a futures deal in January, but he became a free agent last week when he was dropped to make room for defensive tackle Xavier Williams.

Now, Miller will compete for a spot behind projected starters Dante Fowler and Jacob Tuioti-Mariner. Jonathan Bullard, Barkevious Mingo, and fifth-round pick Ta’Quon Graham are also in the mix at defensive end.

Falcons To Sign WR Jeff Badet

June 16th, 2021 at 5:49pm CST by Ben Levine

Jeff Badet has found a new gig. The wideout has signed with the Falcons, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (via Twitter). Badet worked out for Atlanta earlier today.

Badet had a standout career at Kentucky, including a junior season where he hauled in 31 receptions for 670 yards and four touchdowns. Instead of declaring for the NFL Draft, the wideout decided to transfer to Oklahoma for his senior year, where he’d receive passes from the likes of Baker Mayfield and backup Kyler Murray. Badet’s numbers ended up going down during his lone season with the Sooners, and he went undrafted in 2018.

Badet spent most of his rookie season with the Vikings organization, but after getting cut prior to the 2019 campaign, the receiver declared for the XFL Draft. Badet ended up being the fourth skill player off the board, and he proceeded to haul in 16 receptions before the league folded.

The 26-year-old finally got to see the field for an NFL game this past season with Washington. Badet ultimately saw time on 21 offensive snaps for WFT.

Badet earned a name for himself thanks to his speed; he previously won the ’40 Yards of Gold contest,’ which intended to crown the NFL’s fastest player. The Falcons receivers depth chart is a bit uncertain behind Calvin Ridley, but Badet’s best chance of making the roster is probably as a return man.

Falcons Sign Five Draft Picks

June 15th, 2021 at 5:49pm CST by Ben Levine

The Falcons recently carved out some cap space via the Julio Jones trade, and they’re now starting to ink rookies to contracts. The team announced today that they’ve signed five draft picks to rookie deals: third-round offensive tackle Jalen Mayfield, fifth-round defensive tackle Ta’Quon Graham, fifth-round linebacker Adetokunbo Ogundeji, fifth-round cornerback Avery Williams, and sixth-round wideout Frank Darby.

Mayfield, who was taken with the No. 68 pick, is naturally the most notable signing. The lineman appeared in 18 games through three seasons at Michigan, allowing only a pair of sacks. Mayfield put himself on the NFL map after helping guide the 2019 Michigan running game to more than 2,000 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns.

Ogundeji is an intriguing prospect following a productive career at Notre Dame. The defensive lineman saw time in 43 games for the Irish, compiling 13 sacks, six forced fumbles, and 17 tackles for loss. Meanwhile, while Williams had a solid stint at Boise State as a defensive back, he was prolific on special teams, and he could immediately find himself as one of the Falcons’ key returners next season.

Following the five signings, the Falcons have four draft picks who remain unsigned:

Julio: Falcons Exit Was Mutual Decision

June 12th, 2021 at 4:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

Julio Jones trade rumors first surfaced because the Falcons identified his contract as a way to create much-needed cap space, but later reports indicated the decorated receiver requested a trade out of Atlanta in March. Traded to the Titans for a package headlined by a second-round pick, Jones described his Falcons divorce as mutual.

Falcons To Play Cordarrelle Patterson At RB

June 9th, 2021 at 6:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

One of this era’s best kick returners, Cordarrelle Patterson has not made as much of an impact on offense. But teams have used the former Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver prospect in a pass-catching role throughout his career. That looks to change ahead of Patterson’s ninth season.

The Falcons plan to use Patterson at running back, with Scott Bair of AtlantaFalcons.com indicating this will be a true position switch. Patterson has logged notable time in backfields in recent years, and Arthur Smith will be keen on using the 6-foot-2, 227-pound weapon in a run-game role.

Patterson signed a one-year, $3MM deal with the Falcons this offseason. Although the team did add recent Panthers backup/Christian McCaffrey injury replacement Mike Davis, it did not add a running back in the draft. Javian Hawkins signed as a UDFA. This points to Patterson being given a true opportunity to work in tandem with Davis, who signed a two-year deal worth $5.5MM. The top three Falcon backs from 2020 — Todd Gurley, Ito Smith, Brian Hill — are no longer on the team.

The Bears gave Patterson a career-high 64 carries last season, doing so after the Patriots gave him 42 in 2018. Former Bears quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone is now onboard as the Falcons’ offensive coordinator. Patterson, 30, averaged 4.1 yards per carry in his two Chicago seasons. Both of those slates ended in first-team All-Pro kick returner selections — the third and fourth of Patterson’s illustrious return career.

While Patterson did not work out as a wideout in Minnesota, he has proven dangerous as a gadget player as a pro. The former first-round pick has 2,087 career receiving yards and 10 aerial TDs. It will be interesting to see how much running back work the Falcons give the elite return man, but a role as a Davis committee partner appears in his future.

Surgery For Falcons’ Calvin Ridley

June 9th, 2021 at 11:44am CST by Zachary Links

Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley recently underwent minor foot surgery (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). As a result, he’ll be unable to take the field during minicamp. Fortunately, it’s more of a cleanup than a serious operation, so Ridley should be good to go in time for training camp. 

[RELATED: Fallout From Julio Jones Trade]

Ridley set new career watermarks last year with 90 grabs for 1,374 yards. The former No. 26 overall pick also found pay dirt nine times. In an otherwise trying year for the Falcons, Ridley was a bright spot. All in all, he’s got 217 catches, 3,061 yards, and 26 touchdowns to his credit.

Now, the Falcons will be counting on Ridley more than ever with Julio Jones out of the picture. And, with some the much needed cap relief that came from the Jones deal, the Falcons should be able to start extension talks with him in the near future. For now, the 2018 first-round pick is signed through 2022, thanks to his fifth-year option worth $11.116MM.

Falcons Host 5 For Tryouts

June 8th, 2021 at 2:36pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Falcons are starting mandatory minicamp this week, and they’ll host five new tryout players, a couple of whom have some real NFL experience, the team announced Tuesday.

Atlanta is bringing in defensive tackle Miles Brown, linebackers Sharif Finch and Jeff Holland, offensive lineman Wyatt Miller, and wide receiver Jaleel Scott. Brown is a 2019 UDFA from Wofford, who played nine games for the Cardinals as a rookie in a rotational role as a nose tackle. He spent much of last season on the Titans’ practice squad.

Finsh is a 2018 UDFA from Temple who played a real role with the Titans initially. He appeared in 15 games for Tennessee as a rookie, finishing with 27 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles. He played in eight the following year, making three starts, and adding another two sacks. Waived toward the end of the year, he’s since had short stints with the Bengals, Raiders, Bears and Jets. He appeared in three games for New York last year, and was just cut by them last week.

Holland is a 2018 UDFA from Auburn who played in three games for the Broncos as a rookie and has bounced around offseason rosters and practice squads since. He was out of the league in 2020. Miller is a tackle from UCF who has never appeared in a regular season NFL game. He was on the Seahawks’ practice squad for a bit last year.

Finally, Scott is perhaps the biggest name on this list. The Ravens drafted him in the fourth-round out of New Mexico State back in 2018, but he didn’t pan out. He missed his entire rookie year due to injury, then played sparingly in 2019. He was cut and scooped up by the Jets last season, spending most of the year on the practice squad. He did appear in one game for them, and actually started it, catching one pass for 16 yards. With Julio Jones getting traded, perhaps Scott will be able to stick as the team takes flyers on new receivers.

Julio Jones Fallout: Contract, Suitors, Titans

June 7th, 2021 at 4:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

In a trade that will send one of the 21st century’s best players to the AFC, the Titans moved ahead of the pack in this pursuit via a firm offer. The Titans were the only serious Jones suitor, according to NBC Sports’ Peter King.

The Falcons spoke with several teams on Jones, though offers were scarce. At various points in this process, the team discussed the All-Pro wide receiver with every NFC West franchise. The Cardinals are a new entrant in this derby, but Albert Breer of SI.com notes neither they nor their NFC West rivals sent the Falcons firm offers.

The Titans initially proposed sending the Falcons a conditional third-rounder that could become a second, Breer adds, but Atlanta had Tennessee’s proposal of a second-rounder sans conditions on the table for a bit. Sunday-morning negotiations that ended with the teams agreeing to exchange later-round picks finalized the deal, according to King.

Tennessee’s willingness to absorb Jones’ $15.3MM guaranteed salary also outflanked other suitors, per Breer, who notes the Falcons were not interested in eating part of Jones’ 2021 salary in order to sweeten trade compensation. No first-round pick was offered, Breer notes, though at one point a first did come up as part of a potential pick swap.

A Jones-Falcons divorce first surfaced around draft time, and it became a deal framed around the new Falcons regime receiving cap relief. Given the salary component in these talks, that certainly is a key reason why Jones is Nashville-bound. But this separation began when Jones and the Falcons negotiated his wideout-record three-year, $66MM extension. Jones lobbied the Falcons for a new deal after the 2017 season; the Falcons refused and ended up making minor adjustments to his previous contract in 2018. The future Hall of Famer pursued the matter again in 2019. While the sides hammered out an agreement, the months-long negotiations — which ended with a Sept. 7 accord — took a toll on both parties. Jones communicated to the Falcons he wanted out in March.

Although the Ravens pursued several receivers this offseason and signed Sammy Watkins, their Jones interest ceased after the draft. Baltimore using first- and fourth-round picks on wideouts — Rashod Bateman and Tylan Wallace — ended its talks with its former division rival. Finances scuttled Seahawks involvement, King notes, adding the Patriots were also not serious players in this chase.

It sounds like the Falcons are preparing for a pricey Calvin Ridley extension. The 2018 first-round pick is now eligible for a new deal, and the Falcons are preparing for that expensive re-up, per Breer, by getting the Jones contract off their books. Though Atlanta is still eating some dead money from this trade, the team has some time on a Ridley extension. The Falcons picked up his fifth-year option in May, locking up Ridley through 2022.

Chiefs Weren’t In Julio Jones Mix

June 6th, 2021 at 1:32pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs were “never truly in” the Julio Jones sweepstakes, according to Peter Schrager of NFL.com (on Twitter). Like every team in the league, the Chiefs would have loved to have him, but it just didn’t make sense financially. Instead, Jones is en route to the Titans, who landed him on Sunday morning.

[RELATED: Titans Trade For Julio Jones]

The Titans shipped a 2022 second-round pick and a 2023 fourth-round pick to the Falcons for Jones. Meanwhile, the Falcons also sent their 2023 sixth-round pick to the Titans in the swap. That’s a far cry from the Falcons’ initial ask of a first-round pick, but that was the best they could do given Jones’ age (32) and contract.

The veteran is owed a $15.3MM base salary for 2021 and still has some guaranteed dollars for 2022. That would have been tough to swing for the Chiefs, who have less than $8MM to work with heading into ’21.

Needless to say, the Chiefs are already well-set on offense with Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, and Mecole Hardman in the fold. Jones would have been one heck of a replacement for Sammy Watkins, but it would have come at a great expense.

“If I could play alongside Julio Jones, that would be amazing,” Hill said recently (via FOX 4). “I used to be in high school when he was doing his thing at Alabama and I’ve been a fan ever since.”

The Chiefs have other plans for those dollars, including a 2022 extension for Orlando Brown. Meanwhile, Jones is said to be aiming for a new deal of his own.

The Ravens — who could have teamed Jones with Watkins — reached a similar conclusion, backing out of talks last week. Ditto for the Seahawks, who already traded their 2022 first-round pick for star safety Jamal Adams. The 49ers and Rams also had varying degrees of interest in the multiple-time Pro Bowler, but the Titans ultimately topped every other offer.

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