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Atlanta Falcons News & Rumors

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.

Talks Stall Between Jones, Falcons

March 2nd, 2019 at 7:22pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg
  • The Falcons have repeatedly expressed confidence that they’d be able to get a new deal done with Julio Jones, but there’s “not much going on” between the two sides, a source told Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Jones is locked into a contract that is one of the best bargains in the NFL, and isn’t happy about it. He briefly held out last offseason before the team sweetened his deal with some incentives to draw him back. As McClure points out, GM Thomas Dimitroff has said the team is optimistic against getting a deal done, but there’s apparently been no progress. Jones could hold out again this summer, and it’ll be something to keep an eye on.

Falcons Sign QB Matt Schaub To Two-Year Extension

March 2nd, 2019 at 12:13pm CST by Ben Levine

Matt Schaub will be sticking in Atlanta for a few more seasons. The Falcons announced that they have signed the veteran quarterback to a two-year extension. Schaub’s deal is worth $3.78MM in total and contains $750K in guaranteed money, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com, adding Atlanta will hold a team option for the 2020 season.

“Matt has a great understanding of our scheme and brings valuable experience to the position,” said head coach Dan Quinn.

The 37-year-old had spent the past three seasons with the Falcons, serving as the top backup to Matt Ryan. Predictably, Schaub hasn’t had too many opportunities to see the field; in his three seasons with the team, he’s made 10 pass attempts in seven games. Still, his familiarity with the Falcons’ offense is an asset, and he’s fine insurance should Ryan miss any time.

The last time Schaub started at least half of his team’s games was back in 2013 with the Texans. The veteran started eight games that season, completing 61.2-percent of his passes for 2,310 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. Schaub had earned a pair of Pro Bowl births throughout his career, and he led the NFL in passing yards back in 2009.

Presumably, the two-year extension will also be plenty affordable; when Schaub signed a two-year extension with the Falcons in 2017, it was worth $9MM. The veteran was set to hit free agency this summer.

NFC South Rumors: Coleman, Panthers, Olsen

March 1st, 2019 at 9:38pm CST by Micah Powell

Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff gave an indication on the future status of running back Tevin Coleman, ESPN’s Vaughn McClure writes.

“Tevin’s going to do well, wherever he is,” he said.

The stumble of words just goes to confirm what many have expected: That Coleman will not be back with the Falcons in 2019. Projected as the No. 2 free agent running back behind Le’Veon Bell, the Indiana product is due for a big payday. That wasn’t likely to come from the Falcons, who already have the league’s third-highest-paid running back on the roster in Devonta Freeman.

The Falcons also have a capable backup ready to take Coleman’s role in Ito Smith, who gained 315 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie. While it won’t be with the Falcons, Coleman is sure to command a primary back role with another team after showcasing a dual-threat skill set in his time in Atlanta.

Here’s more from around the NFC South:

  • If the Panthers are to bring in a new quarterback in 2019, head coach Ron Rivera said it is more likely to come through the draft rather than free agency, Panthers team writer Bill Voth tweets. That would take them out of the hunt for a proven veteran backup to Cam Newton, who dealt with injuries throughout the 2018 season.
  • Sticking with the Panthers, tight end Greg Olsen has met with ESPN about opportunities but that does not include the Monday Night Football post that was vacated yesterday when Jason Witten returned to the Cowboys, The Athletic’s Joseph Person writes. Those talks could eventually come, but the Panthers fully expect the veteran tight end to return to the field in 2019.
  • The Falcons view Ty Sambrailo as the team’s starting right tackle over Ryan Schraeder, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s D. Orlando Ledbetter writes. Sambrailo moved past Schraeder on the depth chart last season and started the final game at right guard. He will stay at right tackle because it’s easier to find guards and Sambrailo’s ability to pass protect, head coach Dan Quinn said.
  • The Saints have hired Declan Doyle to be an offensive assistant coach, Josh Katzenstein of the Times-Picayune writes. Doyle previously worked as an offensive student assistant at the University of Iowa.

Falcons May Tag Grady Jarrett

February 28th, 2019 at 11:31am CST by Zachary Links

Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett is set for free agency, but the Falcons don’t intend on losing him. General manager Thomas Dimitroff feels “very confident” that Jarrett will be with the team next year and says the franchise tag is a possibility (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure). 

If tagged, Jarrett won’t necessarily be thrilled. The former fifth-round pick has tallied ten sacks over the last two seasons, including a career-high six sacks in 2018. He’s poised for a big payday and probably prefers a long-term deal to the one-year, $15.35MM tender for defensive tackles.

Jarrett’s six sacks 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.

If Jarrett were permitted to reach free agency, he’d easily profile as one of the ten best players available. But, unsurprisingly, the Falcons won’t let him get there.

Falcons Plan To Retain Vic Beasley

February 26th, 2019 at 9:35pm CST by Rory Parks

Vic Beasley is under contract with the Falcons through 2019 since the club picked up his fifth-year option last year. However, Atlanta could cut Beasley before March 13 and clear his entire $12.81MM salary from the books, and given his underwhelming performance over the past two seasons, there has been speculation that the club will do exactly that.

But head coach Dan Quinn threw some cold water on those rumors, saying that the Falcons plan to keep Beasley in the fold. Quinn said (via Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com), “I’m very excited about where I think [Beasley] can go to, and we’ve had good conversations about the impact that he can make. The biggest impact that he can make is doing it really consistently.”

Beasley, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2015 draft, had what appeared to be a breakout campaign in 2016, racking up a league-leading 15.5 sacks to go along with his only Pro Bowl and First Team All-Pro selections. But he has regressed considerably since then, recording just five sacks in each of the past two seasons and grading out as a below-average edge defender per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics.

Beasley was actually Quinn’s first draft choice after Quinn became Atlanta’s head coach, and now that Quinn is set to take over defensive play-calling duties, he believes Beasley is due for a resurgence. Of course, Quinn would not comment on Beasley’s future with the club beyond 2019, and he acknowledged that Beasley would need to return to his earlier level of performance if he wants to land a long-term deal with the Falcons.

It stands to reason that the Falcons would be willing to give Beasley one more shot, as the team rebuffed trade offers for the Clemson product before the 2018 trade deadline.

This Date In Transactions History: Falcons Trade For Chris Chandler

February 24th, 2019 at 9:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

Earlier this month, it cost the Broncos a fourth-round pick to acquire Joe Flacco from the Ravens. The former Super Bowl MVP will head into his age-34 season with a chance to rebound in another city.

One of the best possible scenarios for the Broncos would be Flacco giving the team a season like the one Chris Chandler delivered shortly after he was dealt for a package centering around a fourth-round pick.

Twenty-two years ago today, the Falcons landed a long-term starting quarterback for only fourth- and sixth-round picks. Atlanta acquiring a 31-year-old quarterback for late-round picks turned out to be a pivotal exchange. (This was not even the most interesting Chandler trade, with the former Colts third-round pick fetching Indianapolis the 1992 No. 2 overall selection from Tampa Bay in a 1990 swap.)

The primary Houston Oilers starting quarterback from 1995-96, Chandler became expendable after the since-relocated franchise gave the keys to former top-five pick Steve McNair. The latter soon led the Titans to their only Super Bowl appearance, but the player he replaced reached the NFL’s biggest stage first. Chandler piloted the best season in Falcons history, steering the then-32-year-old organization to a 14-2 record and Super Bowl XXXIII.

A journeyman prior to finding his footing in Georgia, Chandler made two Pro Bowls in a 17-year career. Both came with the Falcons. After landing on the NFC’s 1997 Pro Bowl roster, Chandler secured a four-year, $25MM extension. He rewarded that investment by throwing for 3,154 yards and 25 touchdown passes — both career-high marks — and leading the Falcons to the No. 2 seed in the 1998 NFC playoffs. Chandler then threw for 340 yards and connected on three scoring strikes in the Falcons’ upset win over the Vikings to secure the franchise’s first Super Bowl berth.

Although Atlanta did not fare well against Denver in that game and did not post another winning season with Chandler at the helm, the veteran turned a modest investment into a trip to previously unseen heights. After the Falcons traded up for Michael Vick in 2001, Chandler still started 14 games that season. The Falcons, though, began the full-fledged Vick era in 2002 and released Chandler. He retired after the ’04 season.

The Oilers did not do poorly in making this move, either. They used the 1997 fourth-round pick to select Derrick Mason, who became McNair’s No. 1 target for several years in the early 2000s. Mason played 15 NFL seasons, primarily with the Titans and Ravens.

Contract Details For Bruce Carter, Steven Means

February 24th, 2019 at 11:42am CST by Rory Parks

NFL Awards Compensatory Draft Picks

February 22nd, 2019 at 1:53pm CST by Zachary Links

The NFL has awarded compensatory draft picks to several teams, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The full rundown, which is below, includes two third-round picks for both the Rams and Patriots.

The NFL awards compensatory draft picks to teams, as directed by the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The compensatory pick system provides additional picks to teams who lose more/better qualifying free agents in the previous year than gained. As the NFL explains:

“Compensatory free agents are determined by a formula based on salary, playing time and postseason honors. The formula was developed by the NFL Management Council. Not every free agent lost or signed by a club is covered by this formula. No club may receive more than four compensatory picks in any one year. If a club qualifies for more than four compensatory picks after offsetting each CFA lost by each CFA gained of an equal or higher value, the four highest remaining selections will be awarded to the club.

The Collective Bargaining Agreement limits the number of compensatory selections to the number of clubs then in the League (32). This year, six clubs: the Ravens, Bengals, Colts, Rams, Giants, and 49ers qualified for compensatory selections under the net loss formula but will not receive those picks because the final numerical values of the CFAs who were lost by those clubs ranked 33rd through 39thamong the final numerical values of all compensatory selections. Each of those six clubs will receive compensatory selections for other CFAs lost whose final numerical values ranked within the top 32. “

Third Round

  • (No. 33 in third round-No. 96 overall) Redskins
  • 34-97 Patriots
  • 35-98 Rams
  • 36-99 Rams
  • 37-100 Panthers
  • 38-101 Patriots
  • 39-102 Ravens

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Falcons Sign Blidi Wreh-Wilson To Extension

February 22nd, 2019 at 12:57pm CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons and Blidi Wreh-Wilson have agreed to an extension, according to a team announcement. The new deal is for one year and will keep the cornerback in the fold through the 2019 season. 

“Blidi has been a very versatile player for us over the last three years,” coach Dan Quinn said in a release. “He has experience in our system and adds depth for both the defense and special teams units.”

Wreh-Wilson was initially set to hit the open market in mid-March. The new deal doesn’t give him much in long-term security, but it probably included enough in the way of guaranteed money for him to punt on free agency. This marks the third straight year in which the 29-year-old has signed a one-year deal with Atlanta.

For the Falcons, the deal gives them some semblance of consistency in the secondary. Earlier this offseason, the club cut The Falcons released starting cornerback Robert Alford and elected against tendering slot corner Brian Poole.

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