HEADLINES

Atlanta Falcons News & Rumors

Falcons To Release Ryan Schraeder

March 13th, 2019 at 1:32pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Falcons will release right tackle Ryan Schraeder, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).

Schraeder was fully expected to be cut after Atlanta gave Ty Sambrailo — who took over as the club’s starting right tackle near the end of the 2018 season — a three-year extension. The Falcons will field an offensive line that features three new starters next year: Sambrailo, plus free agent guards Jamon Brown and James Carpenter, the latter two of whom agreed to multi-year deals earlier this week.

A former undrafted free agent out of Valdosta State, Schraeder latched on with the Falcons in 2013 and proceeded to start 73 games over the next six years. He signed a five-year, $31.5MM extension in 2016, but he’ll only complete a portion of that contract. Atlanta will now take on $3.8MM in dead money by releasing Schraeder, but the team will also open $3.95MM in cap space.

Schraeder will now join a free agent tackle class that’s mostly been picked over. Daryl Williams is still the best option on the market, while other 30-something tackles like Jared Veldheer, Jermey Parnell, and Joe Barksdale also remain available.

Contract Details: Amos, Patterson, Carpenter, Brown

March 13th, 2019 at 11:50am CST by Zachary Links

Let’s take a look at the details of a few freshly-signed contracts:

Andy Levitre Not Planning To Retire

March 12th, 2019 at 10:44pm CST by Rory Parks

One of the most durable guards in the league for nearly a decade, Andy Levitre tore his triceps in the Falcons’ second game of the season in 2018 and landed on IR. That immediately led to speculation that Levitre could consider retiring this year, especially since his contract with Atlanta is up.

However, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets that Levitre, who turns 33 in May, is not ready to call it quits and wants to continue playing, though it sounds as if his triceps injury is not completely healed.

It also sounds as though Levitre will not be back with the Falcons, as the club agreed to terms with two free agent guards this afternoon. He agreed to a pay cut with Atlanta last season in order to remain with the team, and the fact that a triceps injury also ended his 2017 campaign prematurely will surely give other teams pause.

But despite the early end to the 2017 season, Levitre graded out as one of the 20 best players at his position in the NFL that year, per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics, so he surely has something left in the tank. If he hasn’t changed his mind in a couple of months, and if he can get healthy, he will attract some interest on the open market.

Falcons To Sign G Jamon Brown

March 12th, 2019 at 3:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Falcons added another piece to their offensive line this afternoon, coming to terms with Jamon Brown, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets.

Brown joins James Carpenter in being a Georgia-bound guard. A Rams starter, Brown saw a suspension derail his run with the team. He landed soon as a Giants starter, however, and will make a run to crack the Falcons’ starting lineup or be a top swing man.

Atlanta still has Brandon Fusco under contract, so the plan may be to play Carpenter opposite the incumbent veteran and have Brown work as a swing backup. Brown, though, has started 38 games in his career.

The former third-round pick’s path back to a Giants starter spot became blocked when New York traded for Kevin Zeitler. Brown rated as Pro Football Focus’ No. 62 guard last season.

 

Falcons To Sign G James Carpenter

March 12th, 2019 at 3:10pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Jets left guard James Carpenter will sign a four-year deal with the Falcons, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Carpenter will celebrate his 30th birthday later this month, so the four-year pact could take him through the end of his career.

Carpenter first entered the league as a first-round pick of the Seahawks in 2011. After finishing out his original four-year rookie deal, he hooked on wiht the Jets, where he spent the last four years. Carpenter stayed healthy between 2013-2017, but his 58-game starting streak ended in November when he underwent shoulder surgery.

Carpenter’s anchored the Jets’ offensive line following the departures of stalwarts D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold. With Atlanta, he’ll help open up running lates for Devonta Freeman and protect quarterback Matt Ryan, who just restructured his deal to free up cap space for the team.

Falcons Restructure Matt Ryan’s Contract

March 12th, 2019 at 1:35pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Khalil Mack wasn’t the only superstar to get his contract restructured today. The Falcons are tweaking Matt Ryan‘s deal, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Yates writes the Falcons created $7MM in cap space by converting $8.75M of Ryan’s base salary into a signing bonus. It’s a win-win for both sides, as Ryan will get more money upfront while the team will get to spread the cap charge out over the course of the rest of his contract. Ryan signed a massive five-year extension with the team last May.

The Falcons had previously had the least cap space in the entire league according to Overthecap.com’s estimations, so this was a desperately needed move. The Falcons have been pretty quiet this offseason, and the only moves they’ve made this month have been franchise-tagging defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and extending backup quarterback Matt Schaub.

The Falcons have more flexibility now, so it’s safe to assume they’re looking to add a piece or two. 2019 will be a critical year for Atlanta after they fired almost all of their assistants after last season. If they don’t progress in 2019, head coach Dan Quinn could find himself out of a job.

Falcons Hire New D-Line Coach

March 7th, 2019 at 11:51am CST by Andrew Ortenberg
  • The Falcons made major shakeups to their coaching staff after their disappointing 2018 season. All three coordinators were let go, and now Atlanta is making another coaching change. The Falcons have hired Jess Simpson to be their new defensive line coach, as current defensive line coach Bryant Young is stepping down, according to Will McFadden of the team’s official website. Simpson comes to the Falcons from the University of Miami, where he served as defensive line coach. In 2017 he was a defensive assistant on the Falcons’ staff, so there’s some familiarity here.

Falcons, Deion Jones Discussing Extension

March 5th, 2019 at 9:40am CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons and inside linebacker Deion Jones have begun extension talks, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Jones still has a year left on his rookie deal, but Atlanta is looking to lock him down ahead of time. 

[RELATED: Falcons Use Franchise Tag On Grady Jarrett]

Jones is scheduled to make just $1.07MM in 2019 and is due for a serious pay bump. The 2016 second-round pick made an immediate impact as a rookie, registering three interceptions, two pick sixes, and 106 tackles. He followed that up with three more interceptions, 138 tackles, and a sack in 2017, leading to his first Pro Bowl selection. Last year, Jones missed the majority of the season thanks to a broken foot suffered in Week 1, but still managed two INTs, a pick six, 53 tackles, and a sack.

Currently, Panthers star Luke Kuechly leads all inside linebackers in compensation at $12.4MM per year. By locking up Jones now, the Falcons can avoid forking over similar cash to the 24-year-old.

Falcons Use Franchise Tag On Grady Jarrett

March 4th, 2019 at 3:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

Grady Jarrett will not be reaching the market. The Falcons will retain their standout defensive tackle via the franchise tag, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).

The Falcons have said for months they hoped to keep Jarrett in the fold, and this tag — worth $15.209MM — will allow them to keep working toward that goal. No deal is imminent, however. The Falcons have until July 15 to reach a long-term agreement with their soon-to-be 26-year-old interior defender.

This is the first defensive tackle among 2019 free agents-to-be to receive a tag, but fellow pass rushers Jadeveon Clowney, DeMarcus Lawrence and Frank Clark are being retained by their respective teams. So is Dee Ford. Jarrett would have been in line for a monster payday on the market, but the tag will still provide the 2015 fifth-round pick with a substantial raise.

One of the league’s top interior pass rushers, Jarrett is best known for his three-sack performance in Super Bowl LI. He has 14 career sacks, also forcing three fumbles last season.

Falcons, DT Grady Jarrett Not Close To Deal

March 3rd, 2019 at 10:51am CST by Ben Levine

The Falcons may be forced to use the franchise tag on Grady Jarrett. D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the defensive tackle and the organization are “not close to reaching a new contract deal.”

The deadline to place the franchise tag on a player is March 5th. If the Falcons don’t agree to an extension with Jarrett by that time, the team may have no choice but to tag the defensive lineman. Otherwise, the team would have to let the 25-year-old hit free agency, at which time he could garner a number of lucrative offers.

As Ledbetter notes, the team may struggle to afford Jarrett’s franchise value. The franchise tag for defensive tackles is $15.21MM, and that would take up the majority of the Falcons’ $22.3MM in cap space.

The Falcons have made it clear that they want to retain Jarrett, with general manager Thomas Dimitroff telling Ledbetter that the organization is focused on getting a deal done. Head coach Dan Quinn had similar thoughts, and he indicated that the team may be willing to franchise the lineman.

“I would say it’s definitely on the table to discuss really thoroughly, but we’ll have to wait until to then to see if a deal can be done first,” Quinn said. “The good news is…that our team and Grady’s team can have good conversations about things that hopefully we can keep working towards some common ground that would be right for both sides.”

The 2015 fifth-round pick has established himself as one of the top defensive tackles in the NFL. Despite playing in only 14 games in 2018, he still had his best statistical season, compiling 52 tackles, six sacks, and three forced fumbles. Pro Football Focus ranked Jarrett fifth among 112 eligible interior defenders.

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