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Atlanta Falcons News & Rumors

Latest On Matt Ryan’s Extension

May 4th, 2018 at 6:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

The details in Matt Ryan‘s historic five-year, $150MM Falcons extension further paint this pact as a player-friendly agreement. Indeed, Ryan has set the bar for full guarantees, with $94.5MM fully guaranteed at signing and another $5.5MM essentially guaranteed (for injury only), Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports.

After a record $52.5MM comes Ryan’s way this year, he will earn a fully guaranteed $10MM roster bonus in 2019 and a $11.5MM next season as well. In 2020, Ryan will collect a $20.5MM fully guaranteed salary, Florio reports.

The Falcons quarterback’s 2021 salary contains $5.5MM guaranteed for injury at signing, and despite that season being three years away, that $5.5MM becomes fully guaranteed on the third day of the 2019 league year, Florio adds. He’ll earn a $23MM base salary in 2021. The only way Ryan wouldn’t collect his $5.5MM injury guarantee is for the Falcons to part ways with him — at an extreme cost — just after the start of the ’19 league year. So, for all intents and purposes, the 2008 first-round pick has $100MM guaranteed to come his way.

There’s a $7.5MM roster bonus due to Ryan on the third day of the 2022 league year, and Florio adds Ryan’s ’22 and ’23 salaries are set to be $16.25MM and $20.5MM, respectively.

Interestingly, none of these guarantees contain any offset language, Florio reports, with a source informing him this deal contains “all clean cash.” No incentives, per-game roster bonuses or workout bonuses are included in this contract — one that ties Ryan to the Falcons through his age-38 season.

This will certainly come up often in the Packers’ ongoing negotiations with Aaron Rodgers and future quarterback talks, like the impending Seahawks/Russell Wilson discussions.

Falcons Interested In Terrell McClain

May 4th, 2018 at 12:40pm CST by Zachary Links

Terrell McClain is visiting with the Dolphins, but there are other clubs interested in his services. The Falcons have expressed some interest in McClain, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (on Twitter), though they have yet to schedule a visit with him. 

McClain made a name for himself while with the Cowboys, particularly in 2016 when he started in 15 contests. Last year, he signed a four-year, $21MM+ free agent deal with the Redskins, but was bumped down to more of a reserve role. This week, the Redskins released him rather than keeping him on board for a (non-guaranteed) base of $3.25MM.

The Falcons are pretty well set at defensive tackle with Grady Jarrett, Jack Crawford, and rookie Deadrin Senat. Still, they could use some reinforcements after losing Dontari Poe this offseason. The recent extension for franchise quarterback Matt Ryan opened up a bit of cap space for Atlanta this season, so they have the flexibility to sign McClain to a low-cost deal.

Matt Ryan To Earn $50MM-Plus In 2018

May 3rd, 2018 at 9:47pm CST by Sam Robinson
  • In addition to Matt Ryan‘s five-year, $150MM Falcons extension being a per-year record, it contains the most Year 1 money in NFL history. The 11th-year quarterback will take home $52.5MM in 2018, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com reports. However, Matthew Stafford still holds the signing bonus record. Ryan will see a $46.5MM bonus, per Graziano. That’s just shy of Stafford’s record $50MM signing bonus agreed to last year.
  • The Texans are moving second-year cornerback Treston Decoud to safety, Mark Berman of Fox 26 tweets. A 2017 fifth-round pick, Decoud played in 10 games for the Texans as a rookie. Decoud played cornerback in both of his seasons at Oregon State. He’s the younger brother of former longtime Falcons safety Thomas Decoud. Houston signed Tyrann Mathieu in free agency and drafted Justin Reid with its first 2018 pick, a third-rounder, so Treston Decoud could stay a depth piece at his new position.

Matt Ryan's $100MM Fully Guaranteed?

May 3rd, 2018 at 6:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

The $100MM guaranteed in Matt Ryan‘s landscape-changing Falcons extension appears to be fully guaranteed. Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports (video link) Ryan will see every dollar of this nine-figure allotment, one that will take the quarterback guarantee market to another level. Kirk Cousins‘ previous record of $84MM — more than $20MM more than Matthew Stafford‘s then-record amount from last summer — lasted less than two months. While it would be a good bet Ryan would see all $100MM even if it weren’t fully guaranteed, given the 11th-year quarterback’s reliability and importance to the Falcons, this sets a high floor for the impending Aaron Rodgers extension. This Ryan deal may have been completed as early as March, per Pelissero, but Ryan’s wife having twins in March prompted the parties to delay the talks.

Falcons Sign Matt Ryan To Massive Extension

May 3rd, 2018 at 3:13pm CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons have locked up their franchise quarterback. Matt Ryan has agreed to a five-year, $150MM extension with the team, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The deal includes $100MM guaranteed, setting a new all-time record for signal callers. Ryan is now under contract through the 2023 season, keeping him in place through his age-38 season. 

Ryan has thrown for 41,796 yards over the course of his ten-year career with 260 touchdowns against 126 interceptions. In the 2016 season, he became the first Falcons player to win the league’s MVP award as he guided Atlanta to its second Super Bowl appearance. Ryan threw for nearly 5,000 yards in the regular season and completed 71.4% of his passes in the playoffs with zero interceptions.

Ryan set a high standard with his play in 2016, but he had a strong follow-up effort last year. The 32-year-old (he’ll 33 in two weeks) threw for 4,095 yards and tied for second place with Drew Brees amongst all QBs in terms of performance, per Pro Football Focus.

The Falcons passer is now the league’s highest-paid player, but as it usually goes for quarterbacks, he probably won’t hold that title for very long. Assuming that Aaron Rodgers and the Packers are on the same page, Rodgers figures to be next in line for a high-paying extension that will likely top Ryan’s. Ryan’s deal is also good news for young QBs Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota as the Bucs and Titans look to keep them out of the free agent pool in 2019.

Ryan’s $30MM average annual value tops the $28.8MM AAV of Kirk Cousins‘ free agent deal with the Vikings, making him the highest-paid QB in the league on a per-season basis. After that, Jimmy Garoppolo ($27.5MM), Matthew Stafford ($27MM), and Derek Carr ($25MM) round out the top five.

This year, Ryan will look to get the Falcons back in the Super Bowl mix with an offense that is as potent as ever. After losing wide receiver Taylor Gabriel to free agency, the Falcons landed Alabama’s Calvin Ridley late in the first round, a player who many feel could be the best receiver to come out of this year’s class. He’ll learn from superstar Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu while Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman continue to wreak havoc out of the backfield.

Falcons Sign 27 UDFAs

May 1st, 2018 at 11:06am CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons have signed a whopping 27 undrafted free agents. Here is the full rundown:

Most NFL teams do not employ a fullback but the Falcons rostered one last year in Derrick Coleman, so McNitt and Marx may have a shot at making the team. At quarterback, there may be an opportunity for Benkert and Lamar Jordan to unseat Garrett Grayson as the third QB (assuming Jordan is being evaluated as a QB), though they are well set with Matt Schaub as the primary backup to Matt Ryan.

Benkert received a $60K guarantee to sign, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets, so it’s clear that the Falcons think highly of him. Benkert started his collegiate career at East Carolina before transferring to Virginia for the 2016 season. In two years as Virginia’s starter, he completed 57.7% of his passes with 46 touchdowns against 21 interceptions.

In other Falcons news, GM Thomas Dimitroff recently addressed speculation about the team’s relationship with star Julio Jones. The Falcons also triggered the fifth-year option for defensive end Vic Beasley recently.

Latest On Julio Jones, Falcons

April 29th, 2018 at 11:25am CST by Rory Parks

Star Falcons wideout Julio Jones created some waves last week when he made his Twitter account private and scrubbed his Instagram profile of pictures of him in Falcons gear, though multiple reports later indicated that was simply because he wanted to create a fresh start for his social media profiles (per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk). The Twitter account has since returned, but Jones has also been absent from the team’s voluntary offseason program, leading some to wonder whether he is unhappy about his current contract situation.

Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports that GM Thomas Dimitroff is not worried about any of that and believes that the relationship between player and team is in a good place. Jones has not made any public comments about his contract, though his average salary of $14.25MM is now sixth in the league. He signed a five-year, $71.25MM extension in August 2015 that made him the second-highest paid wideout in the NFL at the time — behind only Calvin Johnson — so he is under club control for another three seasons.

Dimitroff said, “Julio and the organization are doing very well. I’m not concerned one bit about any of the social media. I think we’re in a great spot. He had very good discussions with [head coach] Dan [Quinn]. And we’re in a great spot.” With respect to Jones’ absence from team workouts, Dimitroff said, “They’re voluntary, of course. Again, we feel very comfortable with where we are with Julio and how he perceives everything.”

It is unclear as to when Jones plans to rejoin his teammates, but as McClure observes, if Jones does not report for the Falcons’ mandatory minicamp in June, then there will be cause for concern. For now, however, Atlanta brass does not seem too worried, and Jones is expected to mentor the team’s newest addition to an excellent wide receiving corps, Calvin Ridley.

Jones was brilliant again in 2017, posting 88 catches for 1,444 yards (though he did manage just three scores). That marked the fourth consecutive year he cracked 1,400 received yards, and he has been named to five Pro Bowls in his seven-year career, including two first-team All-Pro nods. If he wants to talk contract, one has to imagine the Falcons will listen.

Rams Trade No. 194 Pick To Falcons

April 28th, 2018 at 3:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Rams moved another of their extensive collection of sixth-round picks, trading the No. 194 choice to the Falcons in exchange for two seventh-round selections, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com tweets.

Los Angeles will collect Nos. 244 and 256, the latter being the final pick in this draft, from Atlanta. Thanks to their aggressive offseason, the Rams still hold three picks between Nos. 192 and 197. They now own two picks in the seventh round as well.

LSU wide receiver Russell Gage will stay in the southeast as a result of this trade. Gage has incredibly modest numbers for an NFL draft pick — 26 career catches, 347 yards, five total touchdowns — but he’ll attempt to earn a roster spot with the Falcons.

Atlanta still owns its own sixth-round pick, No. 200, but now has no seventh-round selections after dealing both of them to their 2017 first-round playoff opponent. The Falcons had not made a pick since the fourth round, with Gage being the fifth member of their 2018 draft class.

Falcons Exercise Vic Beasley’s Option

April 25th, 2018 at 3:09pm CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons have exercised the fifth-year option on defensive end Vic Beasley, according to a team announcement. It was an easy call for Atlanta and GM Thomas Dimitroff told reporters back in February that he would be exercising the option.

[RELATED: PFR’s Fifth-Year Option Tracker]

Beasley is already under contract through 2018 at a $4.6MM cap number, the fourth year of his rookie contract. The option year will pay him $14.2MM in 2019, as shown on PFR’s Fifth-Year Option Tracker.

The Falcons experimented with using Beasley as an outside linebacker in the past, but he’ll return to playing defensive end full time in 2018, according to head coach Dan Quinn. Despite his up-and-down ’17, his previous work and potential made the fifth-year option decision a simple decision.

In 2016, Beasley led the league with 15.5 sacks, earning a Pro Bowl nod and a First Team All-Pro selection. Last year, he had just five sacks as his mvoe to linebacker resulted in a career-worst 55.6 overall score from Pro Football Focus.

The fifth-year option is guaranteed for injury only, so the Falcons will have an opportunity to bail if necessary.

Browns, Colts Lead League In Cap Space

April 25th, 2018 at 2:13pm CST by Zachary Links

The Browns and Colts have the most cap room of any team in the NFL heading into draft, as Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter) notes. Here’s the official rundown of every team’s cap space for 2018 on the eve of draft weekend:

  1. Browns – $69.5MM
  2. Colts – $59.8MM
  3. 49ers – $43.8MM
  4. Titans – $35.8MM
  5. Texans -$35.6MM
  6. Bears – $24.1MM
  7. Jets – $21.9MM
  8. Bills – $19.4MM
  9. Jaguars – $18.6MM
  10. Cardinals – $18.1MM
  11. Redskins -$17.1MM
  12. Bengals – $16.8MM
  13. Packers – $16.2MM
  14. Vikings – $15.5MM
  15. Broncos – $14.6MM
  16. Patriots – $13.8MM
  17. Buccaneers – $12.3MM
  18. Cowboys -$11.9MM
  19. Chargers – $11.4MM
  20. Lions – $9.4MM
  21. Giants -$9.4MM
  22. Ravens – $8.8MM
  23. Seahawks – $7.6MM
  24. Chiefs – $6.7MM
  25. Saints – $5.7MM
  26. Panthers – $5.2MM
  27. Dolphins – $2.9MM
  28. Eagles – $2.2MM
  29. Steelers – $2MM
  30. Raiders – $1.8MM
  31. Falcons – $1.3MM
  32. Rams – $264K
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