Falcons GM Was Against Matt Ryan Restructuring
Back in March, the Falcons managed to carve out some cap space by restructuring the contract of Matt Ryan. However, it sounds like at least one member of the front office wasn’t a proponent of the move. According to Tori McElhaney of The Athletic, Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot “didn’t really want to make” the move.
Fontenot was brought in as GM in January, and the organization needed some immediate breathing room to participate in the early parts of the offseason. While the Ryan restructuring reduced the quarterback’s cap number to $14MM, it also converted $21MM of Ryan’s $23MM upcoming base salary into future signing bonuses (spread out over the duration of his contract). The means Fontenot will have to once again deal with a muddled cap sheet next offseason, which was something he was presumably looking to avoid.
According to the writer, the recently hired GM ultimately “thought his hands were tied,” and he believed the team’s only solution to opening some necessary cap space was to either restructure Ryan or cut Deion Jones. Ultimately, the organization decided to rework Ryan’s contract, the fourth time the quarterback has restructured his mega-deal. Ryan will now have cap hits north of $40MM in 2022 and 2023.
The team (temporarily) committed to Ryan when they decided to not select a quarterback during this past year’s draft. Considering the money that’s owed to Ryan over the next few years, the team will likely be stuck with the veteran. Ryan hasn’t made a Pro Bowl since 2018, but he’s still completed 65.6-percent of his passes while averaging 26 touchdowns vs. 12.5 sacks over the past two years. Ryan won’t have one of his favorite targets with Julio Jones out of the picture, but the team still added tight end Kyle Pitts with the No. 4 pick to pair with 2020 second-team All-Pro Calvin Ridley.
2021 Cap Space For All 32 NFL Teams
There are still plenty of quality free agents left on the board as we look ahead to training camp. Cornerback Steven Nelson, tackle Russell Okung, and longtime Legion of Boom leader Richard Sherman headline the list, along with accomplished edge rushers like Justin Houston, Melvin Ingram, and Olivier Vernon. That list will only grow larger, of course, as more teams shed veterans to redirect their funds elsewhere.
With that in mind, here’s a look at every NFL team’s cap situation, starting with the league-leading Jaguars:
- Jacksonville Jaguars — $32.7MM
- Denver Broncos — $28.9MM
- New York Jets — $28.5MM
- Cleveland Browns — $20.6MM
- Los Angeles Chargers — $19.9MM
- Detroit Lions — $17.9MM
- San Francisco 49ers — $17.8MM
- Cincinnati Bengals — $17.4MM
- Washington Football Team — $16.7MM
- Indianapolis Colts— $14.3MM
- Carolina Panthers— $14.3MM
- Minnesota Vikings — $13.5MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers — $13.1MM
- New England Patriots — $13.1MM
- New Orleans Saints — $11.4MM
- Arizona Cardinals — $11.3MM
- Buffalo Bills — $10.5MM
- Baltimore Ravens — $8.8MM
- Atlanta Falcons — $8.6MM
- Seattle Seahawks — $8.3MM
- Tennessee Titans — $8.3MM
- Kansas City Chiefs — $7.9MM
- Los Angeles Rams — $7MM
- Chicago Bears — $6MM
- Dallas Cowboys — $6MM
- Miami Dolphins — $5.3MM
- Green Bay Packers — $5MM
- Houston Texans — $5MM
- Las Vegas Raiders — $3.3MM
- Philadelphia Eagles — $3.2MM
- New York Giants — $2.4MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers — $489K
Latest On Barkevious Mingo
Linebacker Barkevious Mingo was arrested for an alleged child sex offense over the weekend. The Falcons released him less than 24 hours later, a decision that his lead attorney Chris Lewis disagrees with. 
[RELATED: Falcons Release Barkevious Mingo]
“We are extremely disappointed in the Atlanta Falcons’ rush to judgment in terminating Barkevious Mingo’s contract before gathering all of the relevant facts and prior to my client having his day in court,” Lewis said (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). “The accusation against Mr. Mingo is a lie. Barkevious knows it — so does his accuser.”
Mingo cooperated with law enforcement upon learning of the warrant and immediately traveled to Texas to turn himself in, according to Lewis. Now, the attorney says, “he is ready to prove his innocence.”
Mingo never lived up to his first-round draft status, but he’s managed a lengthy career in the NFL as a special teamer with the Browns, Patriots, Colts, Seahawks, Texans, and Bears. Last year, he saw some time as a rotational ‘backer with the Bears and notched 2.5 sacks, leading to a one-year, $1.25MM deal earlier this year.
“Mr. Mingo understands the seriousness of an accusation like this and the immediate negative impact it can have on a person’s reputation, even when there is zero evidence,” Mingo’s lawyer said. “But, he also knows that he will be fully vindicated when the truth comes to light. When that happens, the true motivation of the accuser will be clear and unambiguous.”
Falcons Release Barkevious Mingo
In light of Barkevious Mingo’s arrest on the charge of “indecency with a child–sexual contact,” the Falcons have elected to release the veteran linebacker. In a statement announcing the move, the team said, “After being made aware today of allegations involving Barkevious Mingo and gathering information on the matter, the Atlanta Falcons have terminated his contract.”
We now have a few more details on the matter, courtesy of Jon Wertheim of SI.com. Wertheim reports that the alleged incident took place during the Fourth of July weekend in 2019, when Mingo treated a teenage family member and the boy’s friend (also a teenager) to a trip to an amusement park and a go-kart complex. Mingo also took the boys to dinner at a local steakhouse and paid for an online shopping spree at Nike.com.
The boys spent the evening of July 4, 2019, at the hotel where Mingo was staying. The alleged victim said the boys were supposed to sleep in a different room from Mingo, but at around 3am, he woke up to find Mingo lying in bed with him. At this point, we will direct you to Wertheim’s article for the rest of the details, which are disturbing.
The alleged victim’s mother filed a complaint with police in January 2021, and the investigation — which included a search warrant for Nike’s sales records — culminated in a felony charge against Mingo. The No. 6 overall pick of the 2013 draft faces up to 20 years in prison.
Mingo’s attorney, Lukas Garcia, issued the following statement: “At this stage, our side has very limited information. What we do know is these allegations are from over two years ago and are completely untrue. Mr. Mingo is the victim of a false claim, and we believe this is motivated by money or some other ulterior motive.”
Barkevious Mingo Arrested On Felony Charge
4:31pm: The attorney representing Mingo, Lukas Garcia, said this allegation is from over two years ago and is “completely baseless,” via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). Garcia adds he does not have much information on the nature of the allegation, which led to a second-degree felony charge.
2:02pm: Falcons linebacker Barkevious Mingo is facing a second-degree felony charge in a child sex offense case. The Arlington Police Department arrested Mingo on July 8 for indecency with child sexual contact, according to TMZ.
The 30-year-old defender turned himself in and posted a $25,000 bond. He faces up to 20 years in prison. A former No. 6 overall pick, Mingo signed with the Falcons in March. This week’s development certainly puts his NFL career in jeopardy.
“Our organization became aware of the allegations involving Barkevious Mingo today and are currently gathering information on this incident,” the Falcons said in a statement. “The Falcons take the allegations very seriously and will continue to monitor the situation.”
Mingo did not pan out as an impact defender out of the 2013 draft and has bounced around the league since being a top-flight prospect at LSU. The Louisiana native has played for six teams in the past six years — the Browns, Patriots, Colts, Seahawks, Texans and Bears — but suited up for all 16 games in each of those seasons.
He registered 2.5 sacks as a Bears rotational defender in 2020. The Falcons agreed to add Mingo on a one-year, $1.25MM deal March 23.
This Date In Transactions History: Raiders Trade Eric Dickerson To Falcons
While Eric Dickerson is best remembered in Rams and Colts uniforms, the Hall of Fame running back finished his career with two other franchises. Those teams made a deal on this date 28 years ago.
The then-Los Angeles Raiders, who had acquired Dickerson in 1992, traded the veteran back to the Falcons on July 7, 1993. The Falcons sent the Raiders a conditional sixth-round pick for Dickerson. The 10-year vet had visited Atlanta earlier that summer, and the teams soon agreed to a trade that would send him to his fourth and final NFL team. This move came after some key running back developments for both teams.
Dickerson was traded three times in his career, not counting the Rams trading up one spot to acquire him at No. 2 overall in the 1983 draft. The SMU product spent four-plus seasons with the Rams, who traded him to the Colts for a monster haul midway through the 1987 season due to a contract dispute. Dickerson delivered the fifth, sixth and seventh 1,000-yard rushing seasons while in Indianapolis, where he won the fourth and final rushing titles of his career (in 1988), but the Colts sent him to the Raiders for fourth- and eighth-round picks in April 1992.
After missing 11 games between the 1990 and ’91 seasons, Dickerson played all 16 in his lone Raiders season. He ended up leading the 1992 Raiders in rushing, with 729 yards, and reduced Marcus Allen to a minimal role (67 carries in 16 games). Embroiled in a feud with Al Davis, Allen signed with the Chiefs in June 1993. After rostering two first-ballot Hall of Fame running backs in 1992, two summer 1993 transactions led to the Raiders pivoting to younger players at the position.
The Falcons ranked 27th in rushing in 1992, despite having drafted Tony Smith in the first round, and totaled just three rushing touchdowns as a team. Smith was the player the Falcons selected with the pick they obtained from the Packers in that year’s Brett Favre deal. Smith did not receive an NFL carry after that rookie season. Dickerson, however, did not provide much of a stopgap. He played in just four Falcons games (two starts) and amassed 91 rushing yards. Erric Pegram, a 1991 sixth-round pick, ended up surpassing 1,000 rushing yards for Atlanta that year.
Dickerson’s final NFL snaps came with Atlanta, but he nearly joined Favre in Green Bay. Atlanta attempted to trade the aging back to Green Bay in October 1993, but a post-trade physical revealed a bulging disk in Dickerson’s neck and led the Packers to nix the deal. Dickerson retired shortly after the trade fell through.
He ended his career as the NFL’s No. 2 all-time leading rusher, with 13,259 yards. While Dickerson has fallen to ninth on that list, his 2,105 rushing yards (in 1984) remain the league’s single-season standard. It will be interesting to see if the NFL’s move to a 17-game season will lead to that record falling in the near future.
Falcons Sign First-Round TE Kyle Pitts
The Falcons now have their highest first-round pick since Matt Ryan under contract. Kyle Pitts signed his four-year rookie deal, complete with a fifth-year option, on Tuesday, Scott Bair of AtlantaFalcons.com tweets.
Pitts’ fully guaranteed deal is worth $32.9MM, with a near-$21MM signing bonus included, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. That $32.9MM guaranteed at signing leads all tight ends, surpassing Jonnu Smith‘s recent Patriots contract. Pitts’ fully guaranteed amount also exceeds All-Pro Travis Kelce‘s by more than $10MM. While the 2011 CBA did away with monster rookie contracts, Pitts’ deal dwarfing accomplished tight ends’ guarantees serves as an exception on this front.
Atlanta chose Pitts fourth overall, making the 6-foot-6 prospect the highest-drafted tight end in the common draft era. Pitts will be expected to make an impact immediately. Although tight ends often take time to develop as pros, the Falcons’ Julio Jones trade stands to put Pitts in a prime position to contribute in Arthur Smith‘s offense in his first season.
Pitts rocketed onto the NFL radar over the past two seasons. In the COVID-19-shortened 2020 slate, the Florida pass catcher posted 43 receptions for 770 yards and 12 touchdowns in just eight games. Pitts, who will not turn 21 until October, caught 54 passes for 649 yards and five TDs as a sophomore in 2019.
Atlanta was linked to quarterbacks at No. 4 overall for a stretch, but the team opted to extend the Ryan era and give him a potentially elite weapon. Pitts will be a vital part of Smith and GM Terry Fontenot‘s rebuild effort.
Falcons Make Front Office Changes
The Falcons have made some changes to their staff, but new GM Terry Fontenot will also keep some big names from the previous regime on the payroll going forward.
Former GMs Phil Emery and Ruston Webster will remain with the Falcons, with the team shifting the pair from scouting roles to spots as senior personnel executives. Emery, the Bears’ GM from 2012-14, and Webster, the Titans’ GM from 2012-15, joined Thomas Dimitroff‘s staff in 2016 as scouts. Emery has worked in the NFL since 1998; Webster’s tenure in the league dates back to 1988.
Additionally, the Falcons are promoting Michael Ross and Tokunbo Abanikanda from area scouts to the national level. Ross has been with the Falcons since Dimitroff’s second year, rising up from the entry level to his current national scout post. Abanikanda, a 10-year Falcons staffer, has done the same since joining the team. Emery and Webster worked as national scouts during Dimitroff’s final five seasons.
Fontenot will also keep other Dimitroff-era staffers, though some will see their roles reduced. Former Chiefs assistant GM Joel Collier will move from national scout to area scout, while Shepley Heard will go from director of pro personnel down to area scout. Heard has been with the Falcons since 2005. Additionally, Benjamin Martinez will follow Fontenot over from New Orleans. A 12-year Saints staffer who worked as a video assistant for the past four years, Martinez will join the Falcons as a BLESTO scout. BLESTO scouts often do advance work on future draft classes.
Ridley Injury Was From 2020, Not New
- After trading Julio Jones, the Falcons will be leaning heavily on Calvin Ridley this season. As such, there was understandably some concern when it was announced a couple weeks ago that Ridley had undergone foot surgery. Fortunately, we’ve got another positive update to pass along. The foot injury was actually something Ridley dealt with during the 2020 season, and not a new injury suffered this offseason, the wideout told the media recently, via Scott Bair of the team’s official site. “It was just minor,” Ridley said. “I can walk and all that right now. I’m taking it one day at a time.” He also added that he’s “pretty sure” he’ll be ready for training camp, although Bair writes “that remains a bit of an unknown at this stage.” Either way, it doesn’t sound like anything to panic about.
Ten First-Round Picks Remain Unsigned
This year, NFL teams have been quick to tackle their rookie paperwork. Still, there are a decent number of unsigned draft picks remaining, including ten of this year’s first-rounders: 
- QB Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 1 overall)
- QB Zach Wilson, New York Jets (No. 2 overall)
- QB Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers (No. 3 overall)
- TE Kyle Pitts , Atlanta Falcons (No. 4 overall)
- OT Rashawn Slater, Los Angeles Chargers (No. 13 overall)
- OG Alijah Vera-Tucker, New York Jets (No. 14 overall)
- QB Mac Jones, New England Patriots (No. 15 overall)
- RB Travis Etienne, Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 25 overall)
- CB Greg Newsome II, Cleveland Browns (No. 26 overall)
- DE Joe Tryon, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 32 overall)
In a sense, this is a sign that things are back to normal in football following the pandemic. For example, by June 12th of 2019, 22 first-round picks had put pen to paper, with 222 rookies inked on the whole. However, around this time last year, there were just two first-round picks officially in the fold – Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and Panthers defensive lineman Derrick Brown.
Offset language and similar minutia could be holding these ten deals up, but there’s no reason to panic. In all likelihood, these rookie contracts will be squared away before the start of training camp this summer.