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Atlanta Falcons News & Rumors

Falcons S J.J. Wilcox Tears ACL

July 22nd, 2019 at 6:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Falcons have dealt with extensive injury trouble at the safety position recently, and they lost one for the season on Monday.

J.J. Wilcox agreed to an Atlanta deal in April but may end up never putting on a Falcons game uniform. Wilcox suffered a torn ACL on the first day of Falcons training camp, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Although he had a second opinion scheduled, head coach Dan Quinn confirmed that it is indeed a season-ender (via Will McFadden of AtlantaFalcons.com). The team has placed Wilcox on the reserve/injured list.

Wilcox’s injury comes after a season that saw the Falcons lose both starting safeties — Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen — to season-ending maladies in September. A former Cowboys starter who has played a depth role with the Steelers, Jets and Colts, Wilcox was expected to compete for a Falcons backup job this season. A full-time Dallas starter from 2014-15, the 28-year-old defender played 138 snaps last season.

Despite this early setback, the Falcons still boast experience at safety. Because of the injuries to Neal and Allen last season, backups Damontae Kazee and Sharrod Neasman received extensive work in 2018. Kazee graded as a top-20 safety, per Pro Football Focus. Both he and Neasman remain on the roster.

Falcons’ Michael Bennett Out Indefinitely

July 22nd, 2019 at 1:14pm CST by Zachary Links

Falcons defensive lineman Michael Bennett suffered a broken ankle during Monday’s practice, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The 26-year-old is out indefinitely, striking a blow to the Falcons’ depth.

The Falcons signed Bennett in October of last year to fill in for Grady Jarrett after an injury. He appeared in just two games during his short time with the team, but they circled back to him in January with a low-risk deal.

Bennett finished out the 2018 season with five tackles in two games. Prior to that, he appeared in 14 games for the Jaguars across two seasons.

Julio Jones Reports To Falcons Camp

July 21st, 2019 at 2:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

The highest-profile of the Falcons’ extension candidates will not wage a holdout. Julio Jones is still attached to the extension he signed in 2015, but the All-Pro wide receiver has reported to Falcons training camp, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets.

Jones has expressed optimism this offseason he and the Falcons will come to terms on an extension, one that could well be a market-reshaping pact, and attended Atlanta’s minicamp. Still, the 30-year-old star showing up in advance of Atlanta’s camp is a good sign.

“Mr. Blank gave us his word. … That’s golden,” Jones said in June. “His word is that it’s going to get done. … There’s no stress on my end. I’m not thinking about it. [Blank] makes it easy for me to go out and just work every day and not have one of those situations where there’s a holdout or anything like that.”

The Falcons have done well to advance their offseason blueprint this week, having signed both Grady Jarrett and Deion Jones to extensions. Both are now under contract through at least the 2022 season. While Julio Jones and the Falcons have been at this for a while, there still appears to be considerable ground to cover.

Jones’ 7,994 receiving yards since the 2014 season are the most any NFLer has ever compiled in a five-year span. He is almost certainly gunning to be the game’s first $20MM-per-year wideout. After early-career injury trouble, Jones has played in 16 games in three of the past four seasons and only missed three contests over the past five years.

Extensions for Michael Thomas, Amari Cooper and possibly A.J. Green look to be on hold while the Falcons negotiate with their more accomplished receiver.

Falcons, Deion Jones Agree To Extension

July 17th, 2019 at 4:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

Part 2 of the Falcons’ major midsummer contracts can soon be removed from the franchise’s checklist. The Wednesday negotiations between Drew Rosenhaus and the Falcons apparently went quite well, with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reporting (on Twitter) Deion Jones agreed to a four-year, $57MM extension.

The fourth-year linebacker will receive $34MM guaranteed, Schefter adds, with Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reporting (via Twitter) part of that guarantee will be an $11MM signing bonus. The $34MM figure will also include $25.8MM fully guaranteed at signing, Florio tweets. Jones will receive $35.5MM in the first three years of this re-up, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets. The Falcons and Rosenhaus met today in Atlanta to finalize the deal.

This extension falls in between C.J. Mosley‘s lofty Jets pact and the field, with the $14.25MM average making Jones the league’s second-highest-paid off-ball linebacker. It comes in nearly $1MM north of Anthony Barr‘s Vikings deal, in terms of AAV. Regarding fully guaranteed money, this pact trails only Mosley’s $43MM figure and Luke Kuechly‘s $27MM amount.

Two days after the Falcons locked up Grady Jarrett through 2022, they have their middle linebacker signed through 2023. Now, the focus will shift to the team’s highest-profile player. Julio Jones and the Falcons have been working on a new deal, one that will almost certainly make the All-Pro the league’s highest-paid wide receiver, for months. Arthur Blank‘s “Falcons for life” trio is two-thirds extended, but Julio Jones will end up with the biggest contract out of this triumvirate.

Although Deion Jones missed 10 games due to injury last season, the 2016 second-round pick has anchored Atlanta’s linebacking corps since his rookie season. Pro Football Focus graded Jones as its No. 14 linebacker last season; his placement was even higher during a 2017 Pro Bowl slate. The 24-year-old ‘backer has recorded 297 tackles, eight interceptions and three pick-6s in his 37-game career.

Grady Jarrett's 2019 Cap Number Reduced To $11MM

July 15th, 2019 at 9:54pm CST by Rory Parks

Details On Grady Jarrett's Extension

July 15th, 2019 at 5:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

The $42.5MM guarantee in Grady Jarrett‘s contract is essentially a full guarantee. While the Falcons defensive tackle officially received $38MM guaranteed at signing, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports he also has a $4.5MM injury guarantee that turns into a full guarantee on the third day of the 2020 league year. Jarrett is almost certain to receive all $42.5MM. The $38MM figure represents the second-highest full guarantee a team has given to an interior defender, with Jarrett’s deal trailing only Aaron Donald‘s ($50MM fully guaranteed) in that department. So, the zero-time Pro Bowler (but well-regarded lineman) made out well on deadline Monday.

Part of that guaranteed amount is an $18MM signing bonus, with Florio adding Jarrett will earn $6.5MM in base salary in 2019 and $10.5MM in 2020. Of Jarrett’s 2021 and ’22 salaries, only $4.5MM is guaranteed. His 2022 $16.5MM salary is non-guaranteed, and the structure of this contract looks like it will make it fairly easy for the Falcons to cut bait after 2020 if the investment proves poor.

Here is the latest from around the NFC, shifting from the Falcons to teams that do not open camp this week:

Latest On Falcons’ Talks With Julio Jones, Deion Jones

July 15th, 2019 at 2:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

Now that the Falcons have agreed to an extension with Grady Jarrett, negotiations with Julio Jones and Deion Jones stand to pick up. The franchise will continue to talk with its extension-seeking Joneses.

Deion Jones’ agent, Drew Rosenhaus, will meet with Falcons brass on Wednesday in Atlanta, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Jones and the Falcons have been discussing an extension since early March.

Although there is less clarity on the Julio Jones front, Ian Rapoport tweets the All-Pro wide receiver now becomes the Falcons’ top contract priority. However, a Deion Jones deal may beat this process to the finish line. Julio Jones and the Falcons still appear to have a ways to go before finalizing a deal.

Both Joneses reported to Falcons minicamp in June, and Julio expressed optimism he and the Falcons would have a new deal in place soon. Arthur Blank has said he wants both players, along with Jarrett, to be “Falcons for life.” Deion Jones has one season (at just more than $1MM) remaining on his rookie deal, while Julio Jones is signed through 2020 on his second Falcons contract. Julio’s third contract, whenever it is completed, stands to have a major impact on other extension-seeking wideouts.

Falcons, Grady Jarrett Agree To Extension

July 15th, 2019 at 1:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

Barely an hour away from this year’s deadline, the Falcons and Grady Jarrett have a new deal in place. Jarrett agreed to a four-year, $68MM deal to stay in Atlanta, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).

Momentum built in the past 24 hours on the Jarrett front, and he becomes the second franchise-tagged player to agree to an extension Monday. Robbie Gould and the 49ers agreed to terms earlier today, leaving only Jadeveon Clowney without a deal. Jarrett, 26, has been a full-time starter for the Falcons since his second season. He would have made $15.2MM this year on the tag.

Jarrett’s $17MM-per-year average is well off Aaron Donald‘s benchmark for defensive tackles, but considering the disparities between the interior defenders’ profiles, that was to be expected. However, agent Todd France got his client on the same level as four-time Pro Bowler Fletcher Cox, whose 2016 extension averages $17.1MM annually. Jarrett is now NFL’s third-highest-paid interior defender.

Jarrett will receive $42.5MM in guarantees, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This total places Jarrett fifth among interior defenders — behind Donald, Cox, J.J. Watt and Kawann Short.

Although Jarrett has zero Pro Bowls in four seasons and just 14 sacks in that span (not counting his three-sack Super Bowl LI), the Falcons have long acknowledged the former fifth-round pick’s immense value to their defense. Jarrett produced 15 tackles for loss in 2017 and graded as a top-10 interior defender last season, per Pro Football Focus. He registered a career-high six sacks and 16 quarterback hits in 2018.

Arthur Blank said earlier this year he wanted Jarrett to join Julio Jones and Deion Jones as “Falcons for life.” The team has secured a key item off its offseason checklist and can now turn its attention to the Joneses.

This continues a productive offseason for franchise-tagged performers. Jarrett, Gould, Donovan Smith, Dee Ford, DeMarcus Lawrence and Frank Clark agreed to extensions after being tagged in March. Clowney, who has already played a fifth-year option season, is set to play yet another year without a long-term agreement in place.

Hope For Falcons, Grady Jarrett Extension?

July 15th, 2019 at 8:53am CST by Zachary Links

Could the upcoming deadline spur action for the Falcons and Grady Jarrett? A new deal for the defensive tackle was said to be unlikely, but there’s now some hope that a long-term deal can get done before 4pm ET/3pm CT, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link) hears.

Jarrett has been vocal about his desire for a new deal. He abstained from much of the Falcons’ offseason activities, though he reported for the Falcons’ mandatory minicamp in June along with receiver Julio Jones.

If Jarrett does not secure an extension on Monday, the Falcons will not be able to sign him to a long-term contract until the season is over. After that, they will have the option to employ the franchise tag for the second straight year, though it would come with a 20% increase and the risk of irritating one of their defensive stars.

If Jarrett stays on the $15.2MM tag, he’ll carry the third-highest cap hit in 2019 among defensive tackles, putting him behind only Aaron Donald ($17.1MM) and Kawann Short ($17MM).

Latest On Falcons, Grady Jarrett

July 15th, 2019 at 8:38am CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett are unlikely to reach an agreement before the franchise tag extension deadline, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com hears (on Twitter). If that is indeed the case and nothing is signed today, Jarrett will play out the 2019 season on his one-year, $15.35MM tender. 

[RELATED: 49ers Sign Robbie Gould To Extension]

Jarrett’s six sacks in 2018 were impressive for an interior lineman, but he’s shown that he has even more to offer. Last year, Jarrett tied with Michael Pierce for the No. 5 spot on Pro Football Focus’ rankings for defensive tackles. Over the course of 463 pass rush snaps and 245 run defense snaps, Jarrett proved that he is one of the best at his position.

A new deal for the 26-year-old likely would have given the Falcons some additional breathing room this year, but they’re also working on new deals for wide receiver Julio Jones and linebacker Deion Jones. It’s a delicate balancing act, though owner Arthur Blank had said he expects all three players to be “Falcons for life.”

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