HEADLINES

Atlanta Falcons News & Rumors

Falcons Sign DL Allen Bailey To Extension

March 25th, 2020 at 8:39am CST by Ben Levine

Allen Bailey is sticking in Atlanta through at least the 2021 season. NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that the defensive lineman has signed a one-year, $4.5MM extension. The deal includes a $3.25MM signing bonus.

There were reports yesterday that Bailey (along with Matt Ryan and Jake Matthews) had restructured his contract. While this transaction did save the Falcons some money for 2020, it ended up being an extension instead of a pure restructuring.

The former third-round spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Chiefs, but he ended up sitting in free agency for much of last offseason. He eventually caught on with Atlanta, and he proceeded to play an important rotational role for his new squad. In 15 games (five starts), Bailey compiled 26 tackles and one sack.

In total, the 31-year-old has appeared in 117 regular season games, collecting 20.5 sacks.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/24/20

March 24th, 2020 at 10:00pm CST by Rory Parks

Here are today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

Minnesota Vikings

  • Signed: LB DeMarquis Gates (XFL)

New York Giants

  • Signed: DB Dravon Askew-Henry (XFL)

New York Jets

Matt Ryan, Jake Matthews Restructure Deals

March 22nd, 2020 at 9:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

Up against the cap this offseason, the Falcons made three lower-level signings Sunday. They have also restructured a few contracts.

The Falcons restructured the deals of Matt Ryan, Jake Matthews and Allen Bailey, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes. This marks an interesting move for Ryan, who restructured his deal at the end of last season. He was already set to have cap figures north of $39MM in 2021 and 2022.

Ryan was to comprise $24.1MM of Atlanta’s 2020 cap, while Matthews was to account for $16MM of it. Bailey’s two-year deal included a $5.9MM 2020 cap number.

The Falcons and Ryan agreed on a five-year, $150MM extension in May 2018. He is under contract through 2023. Prior to the revised figures from this latest restructure, Ryan’s 2023 cap number sat at $34MM. Signed to a five-year extension worth $72.5MM in July 2018, Matthews is also under contract through 2023. His next four cap numbers are north of $16MM, so it should be expected some of them will rise as a result of this adjustment.

Atlanta added Laquon Treadwell and offensive lineman Justin McCray on Sunday and also re-signed Blidi Wreh-Wilson. They added Todd Gurley on Friday and authorized a $16MM-AAV deal for Dante Fowler. Considering the Falcons’ minimal cap room, these Ryan and Matthews restructures were surely necessary to accommodate the Fowler pact. The Falcons also cut Desmond Trufant and Devonta Freeman to clear space.

Latest On COVID-19’s NFL Impact

March 22nd, 2020 at 9:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although a lockout marred the 2011 NFL offseason, this year will eclipse that delayed offseason for the most unusual in the league’s modern history. Here is some of the fallout from how COVID-19 has affected the NFL during free agency and how it will impact the league going forward:

  • Some teams have inserted coronavirus-triggered language into contracts. With players not permitted to visit team facilities and take physicals and teams not allowed to have staffers meet with free agent targets, some teams have included provisions into contracts indicating that failed physicals would void signing bonus money, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports. Players are prohibited from entering team facilities until at least April, and with this likely set to be an offseason without OTAs, it could be months before free agents take physicals with their new teams. It is not known how many teams are taking this hard-line stance, Fowler notes.
  • Teams are permitted to use independent physicians for physicals, but Tom Pelissero of NFL.com notes (via Twitter) some of the league’s franchises are not comfortable doing so. The delay on physicals has led to most free agency deals yet to be officially announced. Some teams that have announced trades got around these rules. The Falcons and Ravens announced their Hayden Hurst-centered trade because Hurst took his physical before the COVID-19 rules went into effect, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes. This delay on teams’ medical staffs being able to examine players figures to keep some free agents with injury questions unsigned and has certainly impacted the Cam Newton trade market.
  • Due to the stock market’s uncertainty because of coronavirus, multiple NFL owners instructed their front offices to defer signing bonus payments for as long as possible, Florio reports. Signing bonuses are committed to players when they sign, but teams often pay them in installments. Some teams are trying to push back the windows for some of the bonus money to be paid, Florio adds, noting that the Raiders are avoiding signing bonuses altogether. Las Vegas made multiple splashy signings early in free agency, but no details of signing bonuses emerged after those agreements.
  • Some NFL execs were unhappy the league moved forward with free agency during this unprecedented climate in North American sports. “Tone deaf is right!” a GM told NBC Sports’ Peter King. “The world has stopped. We’re in a national emergency as a country and we do this? It’s awful. We’re telling the rest of the world we don’t care.” While the NFL provided the sports-following world with a distraction this week, the uncertainty surrounding OTAs and minicamps — and the lack of pre-draft visits and workouts — will send the league into a strange period similar to what the other major American sports are navigating because of coronavirus.
  • The NFL will make some changes to the draft, and some notable unknowns still exist a month away from the annual April event.

Falcons Sign OL Justin McCray, CB Blidi Wreh-Wilson

March 22nd, 2020 at 7:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Falcons will bring in an offensive line swing man and re-sign one of their backup cornerbacks of recent years. Atlanta signed Justin McCray and Blidi Wreh-Wilson on Sunday.

McCray, who played with the Browns last season and has seen action with three teams since 2014, agreed to a one-year deal, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets. Wilson has been with the Falcons since 2016; he signed a one-year deal to stay in Atlanta in February 2019.

A former UDFA out of Central Florida, McCray started four games with the Browns last season. He started 13 with the Packers from 2017-18. The Packers traded McCray to the Browns last August, and the 27-year-old blocker saw action at guard and tackle. Largely because of his work in pass protection, McCray graded as one of Pro Football Focus’ worst tackles in 2019.

McCray will join Jamon Brown, James Carpenter, John Wetzel and fourth-year blocker Sean Harlow as players vying for roles among Atlanta’s O-line group.

Wilson, 30, has started three games since coming to Georgia nearly four years ago. He saw his biggest workload in 2019, playing 335 defensive snaps. Wilson finished with seven passes defensed and 25 tackles last season. Having released Desmond Trufant, the Falcons are retooling at cornerback. They will have more moves to make at this position going forward this offseason.

Falcons Sign WR Laquon Treadwell

March 22nd, 2020 at 5:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Laquon Treadwell will have a chance to prove himself with another team. After the former first-round pick underwhelmed for four seasons with the Vikings, he will join the Falcons. The team announced the move.

The 2016 first-round pick could not justify that draft status in Minnesota, being released and re-signed in 2019 and totaling just 65 receptions for 701 yards and two touchdowns during his four Vikings seasons. He did finish the ’19 slate with a 20.4-yard average but did so on just nine catches.

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Ole Miss product topped out at 4.63 seconds in the 40-yard dash four years ago and never solidified the No. 3 receiver role behind Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs. He will have an opportunity to fill in behind another talented wideout duo.

Atlanta will have the high-end Julio Jones–Calvin Ridley tandem back for a third season together and saw Russell Gage eclipse 400 receiving yards last season. Treadwell will attempt to carve out a spot in the Falcons’ receiver group.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/20/20

March 20th, 2020 at 12:36pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s running list of minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

  • Released: P Ryan Allen (this is only a procedural move and Allen is expected to be re-signed shortly, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets.)

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Chicago Bears

Houston Texans

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Falcons To Sign Todd Gurley

March 20th, 2020 at 7:54am CST by Zachary Links

That didn’t take long. On Friday, the Falcons formally announced the signing of running back Todd Gurley. 

Gurley has agreed to a one-year deal with Atlanta, less than 24 hours after being let go by the Rams. One important thing to note: Gurley, who has been plagued by injuries, may still need to undergo a physical with the team before the deal is all legal eagle. Of course, that’s not possible at the moment due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the league’s restrictions on travel.

Soon after Gurley was cut loose, we heard that Gurley was interested in joining the Falcons or Dolphins. The Falcons were the perfect fit for Gurley, a University of Georgia product who can occupy the role once filled by Devonta Freeman. Backed by Ito Smith and Brian Hill, Gurley will try to get back to his old form in familiar surroundings.

Gurley was an NFL megastar just a couple of years ago. Between 2017 and 2018, Gurley racked up 40 touchdowns and roughly 4,000 yards from scrimmage. And, in 2018, he signed a four-year, $57.5MM extension with the Rams that rebooted the running back market.

Here’s the breakdown of his new deal, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). Gurley will earn $11MM in total with $7.5MM coming from the Rams, $6MM on the Falcons’ books, and a $2.5MM offset. It all adds up to a one-year deal that keeps Gurley as one of the NFL’s three highest-paid running backs.

Unfortunately, the knee injury he suffered near the end of the ’18 campaign changed things and hasn’t looked like the same player since. Father Time is not kind to running backs; nor is the injury bug. Still, no one would be surprised if Gurley thrives with the Falcons in his age-26 season.

Falcons Use Post-June 1 Release For Trufant

March 19th, 2020 at 7:39pm CST by Dallas Robinson
  • The Falcons officially designated cornerback Desmond Trufant as a post-June 1 release. That move will allow Atlanta to spread Trufant’s dead money out over both the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Trufant, of course, has already found a new home, landing a two-year, $21MM deal with the Lions.

Todd Gurley Eyeing Falcons, Dolphins?

March 19th, 2020 at 6:19pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Now a free agent after being released by the Rams earlier today, Todd Gurley is free to choose his next destination. At this early stage, the veteran running reportedly has the Falcons and Dolphins on his list of potential landing spots, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Additionally, Atlanta and Miami were the two teams that expressed the most trade interest in Gurley before he was cut by Los Angeles, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

Atlanta looks like a clear contender to add a running back at some point this offseason, as the club’s backfield depth chart is currently headlined by Ito Smith and Brian Hill following the release of Devonta Freeman. Freeman, the Falcons’ starter for the past five years, saw 71 targets in 2019 (10th among running backs), so Gurley’s pass-catching prowess would likely be put to use in Atlanta. Plus, it probably doesn’t hurt that Gurley spent his collegiate time at the University of Georgia.

Miami, meanwhile, already inked ex-Eagles running back Jordan Howard to a two-year, $10MM pact earlier this week, adding him to an RB room that also includes Kalen Ballage, Patrick Laird, and Myles Gaskin. Gurley would further crowd the Dolphins’ depth chart, but head coach Brian Flores — taking a cue from his history with the Patriots — probably wouldn’t be afraid of a running back-by-committee approach.

Every NFL free agent will be affected by COVID-19 travel restrictions, but perhaps none more so than Gurley, whose chronic knee issues surely have interested teams concerned. Indeed, it remains to be seen if a club will take a chance on Gurley’s health without the benefit on an in-person physical.

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