Brooks Reed Bids Farewell To Falcons
This appears to be the end of the line for the Falcons and Brooks Reed. On Wednesday, the defensive end took to Instagram to bid farewell to Atlanta. 
“Thankful to have been a part of the Atlanta Falcons for the last four years,” Reed wrote. “It has been an incredible journey and I’m so grateful to the city of Atlanta, the Falcons organization, my teammates, and all who have supported me along the way. I walk away with lifelong friendships and memories I will cherish forever. I’m not done yet, and can’t wait to see what’s next!”
Reed was set to carry a $5.44MM cap figure in the final year of a five-year deal. By releasing him, the Falcons will save $4.5MM against the cap with just $940K in dead money.
Last year, Reed finished out with 24 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, and graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 56 ranked edge defender in the NFL. It’s a drop-off from 2017 when he was ranked as the No. 31 edge rusher in the league by PFF and 39 tackles and four sacks.
Prior to joining Atlanta in 2015, Reed spent the first four years of his career with the Texans. The former second-round pick will now seek to join his third NFL team, unless a Houston reunion is in the cards.
Falcons To Release Matt Bryant
The Falcons are parting ways with kicker Matt Bryant. The club informed him of his impending release, according to an announcement from Bryant on social media. 
“I was informed last night that the team was moving on from my services and that I would be released,” Bryant wrote. “I want to say thank you to all the fans that have stood with me and my family during our time here. I take great pride in my body of work on and off the field. I hope I have represented you well while I was here. It was an honor to be a part of some big moments in this franchise’s history. This chapter is now closed. I look forward to bringing the success and consistency that I’ve produced to my next team.”
Bryant has repeatedly said that he plans to play into his age-44 season. His age could work against him in free agency, but his 2018 season proved that he still has something left in the tank. Bryant connected on 20 of 21 field goals, including a 57-yarder, giving him a 95.2% completion percentage. He also sank 33 of 35 extra point tries.
Bryant signed a three-year, $10.5MM extension with Atlanta last offseason that would have carried him through the 2020 season. Under the old deal, he would have made $2.45MM base salary in ’19.
Falcons K Matt Bryant To Return In 2019
It sounds like Matt Bryant is sticking around for at least another season. The veteran kicker announced on Twitter that he won’t be retiring this offseason.
“Over this past year I’ve been asked numerous times about retirement and how I feel,” Bryant wrote. “Well, I’m not retiring and I feel fine and plan on feeling even better with some changes to my offseason program!”
The 43-year-old just completed his 17th NFL season and his 10th-straight campaign with the Falcons. Bryant was actually incredibly efficient in 2018, converting a career-high 95.2-percent of his field goal attempts (20-of-21). He was also successful on 33 of his 35 extra point attempts.
Unfortunately, Bryant was limited to only 13 contests, the first time since 2015 that he hadn’t appeared in every game for Atlanta. The veteran battled a hamstring ailment throughout the season, and the “changes” to his offseason routine may be intended to remedy any reoccurring issues.
Bryant inked a three-year extension worth $10.5MM with the Falcons last offseason that would last through the 2020 season. The veteran is set to earn a $2.45MM base salary in 2019.
Falcons To Release CB Robert Alford
Robert Alford‘s six-season tenure with the Falcons will come to an end. They are planning to release the veteran cornerback, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).
The 30-year-old defender’s four-year deal already paid out most of its guarantees, and Alford was scheduled to carry a $9.1MM cap figure in 2019. The Falcons will be tagged with just $1.2MM in dead money.
This move will create $7.9MM in cap space for the Falcons, who entered Tuesday with barely $14MM to spend.
Cutting Alford still will sever ties with one of Atlanta’s longest-tenured players. The Southeastern Louisiana success story had been a Falcons starting corner since the 2014 season, a year after the team selected him in the second round of the 2013 draft. Alford went on to start 76 games, five playoff contests — including a Super Bowl LI duel that saw him return a Tom Brady interception 82 yards for a touchdown.
The Falcons drafted Isaiah Oliver in the 2018 second round, and the Colorado product profiles as the player being groomed to start alongside Desmond Trufant. Oliver saw only 240 snaps of action as a rookie, but he graded better than Alford did last season. Pro Football Focus viewed Alford’s sixth season as his worst in years, tabbing him as one of the league’s most ineffective corners. That said, he should still receive another opportunity soon.
In becoming a street free agent, Alford now has a head start on the cornerback market. While teams eyeing the top UFA corners may stay away, others believing a mid-level addition can help would profile as those who stand to be interested.
Falcons Notes: Dimitroff, Jarrett, Offseason
- Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff again reiterated the team’s desire to lockup defensive tackle Grady Jarrett with a longterm deal this week at the Super Bowl, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We’ve had a number of conversations. We still have a ways to go but we are confident he’s going to be here for years to come”, Dimitroff said. Jarrett is set to be a free agent this March, but it looks like he won’t ever hit the open market.
- Speaking of the Falcons, don’t expect them to be big spenders in free agency. Dimitroff said he doesn’t anticipate being that aggressive in pursuing guys from other teams, declaring “I don’t think necessarily we need to make a whole bunch of bold moves.” While he acknowledged that the team has some “regrouping to do” after their disappointing season, he expressed confidence in the group of players currently in the building, and said he doesn’t foresee himself “dropping a ton of money in free agency.”
Falcons Lose DBs Coach To College Ranks
- After two seasons on Dan Quinn‘s Falcons staff, Charlie Jackson will move to the college ranks to become a head coach. Jackson will take over at Division II Kentucky State, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes. Jackson served as Atlanta’s defensive backs coach but had previously coached with the Broncos and Packers and worked as a Seahawks scout. He was not fired when the Falcons made sweeping staff changes, but the team now has a staff vacancy.
Falcons Hire Ben Steele
- The Falcons have hired former Buccaneers tight ends coach Ben Steele as an offensive assistant, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com. Steele had worked under Dirk Koetter — Atlanta’s new offensive coordinator — in Tampa Bay for the past two years.
Falcons’ Owner On Quinn, Dimitroff
The Falcons have head coach Dan Quinn and GM Thomas Dimitroff under contract through 2022. Their deals would indicate that their fates are tied together, but he says they are not necessarily linked if the 2019 season goes poorly. 
[RELATED: Former Falcons Coach Mike Smith Retires]
“I don’t know that. That’s a whole year away,” Blank said (via Jeff Schultz of The Athletic). “They’re two different people with two different roles. I understand the question, and I understand the answer you would like. But the answer I’m giving is the honest answer, which is that we have a year for things to play out.”
Blank went on to say that he has a “very high confidence level” in their ability to turn things around, but it sounds like any outcome is possible if the Falcons fail to make the playoffs yet again. Atlanta finished out 7-9 in 2018 despite a talented roster and high expectations heading into the season.
Of course, the duo has found success together. The Falcons reached, and nearly won, Super Bowl LI against the Patriots following the 2016 season. In 2017, they secured a Wild Card spot with a 10-6 record before falling to the Eagles in the divisional round.
“They’re tied at the hip in a positive way in terms of their decision-making,” he said. “I’ve seen them disagree on things in a respectful way. They definitely have different views on some things, but we encourage that as part of our culture in all of our businesses. Usually, if they disagree on something, they move on and try to find an option they both feel better about.”
Police Detain Falcons DE Takk McKinley
An unspecified situation Tuesday at a Los Angeles hotel led to police detaining Falcons defensive end Takk McKinley, TMZ reports.
McKinley was not arrested and is undergoing mental evaluation.
A friend of the Atlanta defender believed it was in his best interests to get help on Tuesday afternoon, and the police on scene concurred. McKinley ended up cooperating and leaving a high-end hotel with police, according to the website. Dan Quinn addressed the situation.
“We were recently made aware of the situation involving Takk in Los Angeles earlier today,” Quinn said in a statement. “Any time a situation occurs that is or could be related to mental health issues we take it very seriously. We will do everything we possibly can to support and assist Takk as our players’ mental and physical well-being are always our top priority.”
The 23-year-old defensive end just finished his second season with the Falcons. A UCLA alum and 2017 Falcons first-round pick, McKinley started eight games this season, the first such assignments of his career, and led the Falcons with seven sacks.
Former Bucs DC Mike Smith Retires
Former Buccaneers head coach Mike Smith says that he will no longer pursue coaching opportunities (Twitter link via SiriusXM’s Alex Marvez). The 59-year-old says it’s time “to do something different” in his life after 36 years in the profession. 
Smith’s last stop came with the Bucs, but that ended when they made a change at DC just weeks into the season. At the time, Tampa Bay had one of the league’s worst defenses with 34.6 points allowed per contest and 82 points allowed over its past two games under Smith. The Bucs’ matador D was on pace to allow the most points in NFL history, so Smith’s October dismissal did not come out of the blue.
Smith began his career as a graduate assistant at San Diego State in 1982. In 1999, he crossed over to the professional ranks as an assistant with the Ravens. His first big break came as the Jaguars’ defensive coordinator in 2003, and he parlayed that into a long run as the Falcons’ head coach beginning in 2008.
We here at PFR wish Smith the best in retirement.