- The Falcons are reportedly discussing a new deal for Julio Jones after the star wideout expressed displeasure with his contract figures, but Jones doesn’t exactly have the leverage to press for a new accord, as Joel Corry of CBSSports.com argues. Jones still has three years left on his current pact, and most teams wouldn’t even consider renegotiating with that timeline, especially given that Jones’ five-year deal was frontloaded. Although wide receivers like Sammy Watkins, Allen Robinson, and Jarvis Landry saw nice pay bumps this offseason, the top of the receiver market hasn’t yet been reset, per Corry, meaning there’s not a ton of room for movement regarding Jones. Instead, Jones — who’s collecting $14.25MM annually — should instead press for an incentive-based package in 2017, similar to what Rob Gronkowski has received from the Patriots, says Corry.
Who says nothing happens in the NFL on the Fourth of July? On Wednesday morning, Calvin Ridley‘s agents took to Twitter to announce that the wide receiver has signed his rookie deal with the Falcons. Ridley, selected with the No. 26 overall pick, has received a four-year, $10.9MM deal, as dictated by his slot. 
First-round picks have been slower to sign that the rest of this year’s selections, including those taken near the end of the first round. That’s because Seahawks rookie running back Rashaad Penny agreed to a lower fourth season salary guarantee than last year’s No. 27 overall pick, Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White. Those selected near the end of the first round often don’t get the entirety of their fourth season base salary guaranteed, but agents can push for a decent chunk of it to be guaranteed. Penny’s reps apparently settled for less, which may have emboldened teams near the back of the order.
Apparently, the Falcons and Ridley’s camp were able to meet somewhere in the middle. Both sides are hoping that minutia like Ridley’s guarantee in 2021 and the offset language contained in the deal will be a non-factor.
Ridley joins a loaded Falcons offense as he slots behind Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu. After racking up 224 passes for 2,781 yards and 19 touchdowns at Alabama, the Falcons believe that Ridley will be able to hit the ground running in 2018.
“What I’ve seen is excellent transition in and out of breaks, it’s as good as anybody I’ve been around,” quarterback Matt Ryan said recently. “He’s got very good hands. He’s smart, we put a lot on these guys early in OTAs as far as knowing different positions, knowing where to line up, different route combinations, adjustments that we have versus certain coverages. He’s picked up all that stuff really well. You can tell he’s been well coached prior to coming into the NFL.”
- Desmond Trufant may have a new sidekick at some point this season. The Falcons used second-round pick Isaiah Oliver at right cornerback throughout the offseason, and D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution notes Dan Quinn would like to have a bigger presence at that position (Robert Alford is 5-foot-10; Oliver is 6-1). While predicting Oliver will begin his career as a special-teamer, Ledbetter writes that Alford would be an option as the Falcons’ slot corner if Oliver moves into the starting lineup. The Falcons extended Alford in 2016 and are set to pay him over $9MM in each of the next three seasons, though they can get out of that contract relatively easily after 2018.
Only six percent of 2018 NFL draft picks remain unsigned, and 71% (12-of-17) of those contract-less selections are first-rounders. For a certain slice of those unsigned first-round picks, especially those selected near the back end of Day 1, Seahawks rookie running back Rashaad Penny‘s contract is playing a role in negotiations, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explains.
While the three players selected at pick Nos. 23-25 (Patriots offensive lineman Isaiah Wynn, Panthers wide receiver D.J. Moore, and Ravens tight end Hayden Hurst) each garnered significant fourth season base salary guarantees, Penny — who was chosen with the 27th overall pick — actually saw his fourth season salary guarantee percentage decrease when compared to 2017’s No. 27 selection, Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White, per Florio.
The NFL’s new collective bargaining agreement implemented slotted rookie contracts which make negotiations a breeze, but there’s a still a bit of wiggle room. First-rounders selected near the end of the first round won’t often get the entirety of their fourth season base salary guaranteed, but that’s an area where agents can press for a bit extra in talks. Penny’s representatives, clearly, didn’t do so, which could now lead other teams with unsigned first-round picks to withhold guarantees.
Here are the unsigned first-round picks chosen after No. 20 overall:
- Falcons, 1-26: Calvin Ridley, WR (Alabama)
- Steelers, 1-28: Terrell Edmunds, S (Virginia Tech)
- Jaguars, 1-29: Taven Bryan, DT (Florida)
- Vikings, 1-30: Mike Hughes, CB (UCF)
- Patriots, 1-31: Sony Michel, RB (Georgia)
Overall, the amount of fourth season guarantees shouldn’t stand in the way of getting deals for the above players done, as the dollar amounts in question are in the thousands, not millions. But the lack of signed contracts does speak to the small area of available negotiation still left in rookie pacts, and is something to watch as the offseason progresses.
The free agent safety market finally budged Monday when veteran Ron Parker agreed to a one-year deal with the Falcons, but as Field Yates of ESPN.com notes (Twitter link), the details of Parker’s contract indicate the remaining crop of free agent defensive backs could have trouble garnering any significant money before the regular season gets underway.
Parker, who had been earning $5MM annually with the Chiefs before being released earlier this year, inked a minimum salary benefit pact with Atlanta, per Yates. Minimum salary benefit contracts, or MSBs, allow teams to sign veteran players at a cheaper salary cap cost, while still allowing the player to collect the minimum salary for his years of NFL service. Parker, for example, will earn a base salary of $915K in 2018, but he’ll only count for $630K on the Falcons’ cap.
Pro Football Rumors has examined the minimum salary benefit in the past, but in its simplest form, the rule is designed to favor veteran players. The rule is especially effective at this time of year, when clubs are attempting to fill in the back end of their respective rosters. If two prospective additions are comparable players, a team might prefer to sign the free agent with fewer years of NFL experience (who will in turn require a cheaper minimum salary). But thanks to the MSB rule, veterans such as Parker are able to collect their rightful paycheck while not overly affecting a club’s salary cap.
The macro effect of Parker’s deal with the Falcons on the safety market isn’t yet clear, but his low salary is far from good news for remaining free agent defensive backs such as Eric Reid, Tre Boston, and Kenny Vaccaro. However, Parker is older than all three of those players, graded worse than Reid and Boston in Pro Football Focus‘ positional rankings, and placed below all three safeties in Pro Football Rumors’ early March free agent breakdown.
Former Chiefs safety Ron Parker is expected to sign with the Falcons on Monday, sources tell Terez A. Paylor of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). It’s a one-year deal, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). 
The free agent safety market has moved at a glacial pace this offseason and Parker was one of several vets without work in June. Tre Boston, Eric Reid, Kenny Vaccaro, and several other experienced safeties continue to hunt for a job, but Parker has found an NFL home for the 2018 season.
Parker started in 64 of the Chiefs’ last 65 games. This offseason, KC opted to let him go in order to save $5MM with $2MM left over in dead money. His release terminated the five-year, $30MM extension he signed in 2015.
In his run with the Chiefs, the former UDFA notched 40 pass breakups and intercepted nine passes. His performance slipped in 2017, but he’ll look to get back to his old ways in Atlanta as he enters his age-31 season.
The Falcons will start a solid 1-2 at safety with Keanu Neal at free safety and Ricardo Allen delivering the big hits at strong safety. Parker projects to serve as one of the top safeties off of the bench with Kemal Ishmael, Damontae Kazee, and Tyson Graham among those also pushing for time.
Seeing the likes of Sammy Watkins, Jarvis Landry and Davante Adams surpass his once-NFL-high wide receiver contract, Julio Jones has stayed away from the Falcons in pursuit of an adjusted contract. And Dan Quinn appeared to intimate the sides were on the same page.
But there may be some fence-mending that needs to happen before the parties can work together again. Well, a new contract might do the trick, too. However, Jones and the Falcons have had a strained relationship for weeks, Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report notes.
Jones said earlier during Atlanta’s offseason program, which he stayed away from, there was no bad blood between he and the Falcons. That may not be entirely true as he guns for an updated deal. Jones has three seasons left on a contract agreed to in 2015, one that’s paying him $14.25MM per year but has little guaranteed dollars remaining.
Additionally, the Falcons look to be concerned about the person he’s chosen to train with in lieu of attending team workouts. D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via CBS Sports) said during a radio interview this week Atlanta’s front office has been “uneasy” about Jones working out with Terrell Owens, one of the most polarizing players in NFL history.
This will be Jones’ final season in his 20s, and he’s going into his eighth year. And given the contracts recently handed out, this serves as a logical juncture for Jones to make a stand. The holdout, with three years left on a contract, also has the Falcons “uneasy”, per Ledbetter. While a contract amendment with so much time left would set a precedent the team likely would prefer to avoid, it’s hard to picture the Falcons lining up without Jones in Week 1.
For now, though, the decorated wideout is at odds with the Falcons and is part of an extensive holdout contingent.
Steve Sarkisian is entering his second season as Falcons offensive coordinator, but the coach’s job could already be in jeopardy. Appearing on “The Wake Up Call” on ESPN Charlotte, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution said Sarkisian is on the hot seat (via Matthew Chambers of SBNation’s The Falconholic).
Specifically, Ledbetter noted that the offensive coordinator disappointed during his first year on the job, and a “change will be in order” if the offense struggles again. Furthermore, the team brought in new quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp in an attempt to help with the offensive game plan, with Ledbetter referring to the coach as Sarkisian’s “sounding board.”
Following a 2016 conference-winning season where the Falcons led the NFL in points and finished second in yards, the team took a step back in 2017. Atlanta ultimately ranked 15th in points and eighth in yards, with quarterback Matt Ryan and running back Devonta Freeman putting up some of their worst numbers in several seasons. The team is hoping that some of their offseason additions will help improve the offense, including first-round wideout Calvin Ridley. The Falcons also added free agent tight end Logan Paulsen and offensive guard Brandon Fusco.
Sarkisian was hired by the Falcons last offseason after Kyle Shanahan took the 49ers head coaching gig. The 44-year-old had recently served as the offensive coordinator at Alabama and the head coach at Washington and USC. His only other NFL stint came in 2004, when he served as the Raiders quarterbacks coach.
Four years ago today, we had a rare June NFL trade. In a relatively interesting move (at the time), the Texans sent quarterback T.J. Yates to the Falcons for linebacker Akeem Dent.
Houston had actually planned on releasing Yates, their 2011 fifth-round pick. The North Carolina product had failed to show much during his first three years in the NFL, throwing three touchdowns and six interceptions in 13 games. With coach Bill O’Brien deciding to roll with the trio of Ryan Fitzpatrick, Case Keenum, and Tom Savage, Yates was set to be released and hit free agency. However, once word of Yates’ impending release got around the NFL, teams started calling in on the young signal-caller.
Houston ended up landing on a deal with the Falcons, receiving the intriguing Dent in return. The 2011 third-round pick had looked solid during his stint in Atlanta, starting 10 games and compiling 136 tackles in three years. While the Georgia product failed to progress during his time in Houston, the trade still appears to be a win for the Texans. Dent collected 38 tackles and one sacks in 15 games (seven starts) during his first season in Houston, earning himself a two-year extension. However, over the next two seasons, Dent only managed to compile a combined 29 tackles and zero sacks. The 30-year-old hasn’t appeared in the NFL since 2016.
Yates’ tenure with the Falcons was short-lived. The quarterback appeared in only a single game for the franchise, completing three of four passes for 64 yards and one interception. He was released by Atlanta prior to the 2015 season, and he ended up catching on again with… the Texans. Yates looked a bit better during his second (and third) stint in Houston, and he earned a chance to play this past season due to injuries. He finished the 2017 campaign having completed 48.5-percent of his passes for 523 yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions.