Atlanta Falcons Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

Latest On Falcons, Matt Ryan

February 5th, 2017 at 5:35pm CST by Zachary Links

Over the weekend, Falcons owner Arthur Blank made it clear that he is going to work on extending Matt Ryan as soon as he can this offseason. Blank knows what it might take to re-up Ryan, and that includes make him the highest-paid quarterback, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears.

Currently, the highest-paid QB in the NFL is Andrew Luck thanks to his five-year, ~$123MM extension signed with the Colts on June 29, 2016. But, after an incredible 2016 season, the Falcons are already thinking about setting a new watermark with Ryan. Ryan’s current contract takes him through the 2018 season, but Blank apparently does not want to get near that date before discussing a deal.

“When Matt was being interviewed this week, somebody asked him, ‘What do you think about Tom Brady, his age, being 39 and will be 40 in August?’ and Matt said, ‘I’d like to play as long as Tom,’ ” Blank said recently. “That’s when I jumped up off the sofa and starting clicking my heels. We have a lot of young talent on both sides of the ball. But to have our quarterback in place for an extended period of time will be incredible news for Atlanta. Matt is in great shape and takes wonderful care of himself. So, I’m excited.”

Ryan finished the year as Pro Football Focus’ No. 2 quarterback in the NFL, second only to tonight’s opposing QB (Brady). Ryan has long been regarded as a solid starting quarterback, but this year he was undeniably in the top tier at his position.

As it stands, Ryan is scheduled to carry a $23.75MM cap charge in 2017 and a $21.65MM cap charge in 2018.

Ravens Attempted To Trade Up For Ryan In '08

February 5th, 2017 at 2:45pm CST by Rory Parks

On the subject of seminal trades, the Ravens were ready to part with their entire 2008 draft class in order to trade up to take Matt Ryan at No. 2 that year, Rapoport reports. The Ravens held the No. 8 pick and offered their entire ’08 picks stockpile to the Rams, who held the No. 2 choice. St. Louis also wanted Baltimore’s second-round pick in 2009, which ended up being Paul Kruger, to clinch that deal, per Rapoport. The Rams ended up taking Chris Long at No. 2, with the Ravens trading down to No. 18 and selecting Joe Flacco. In the ’08 draft, Baltimore acquired Ray Rice in the second round but largely whiffed on its other picks. However, the Ravens ended up making 10 selections. The Falcons selected Ryan at No. 3 overall.

Rams To Pursue Matt LaFleur As OC

February 5th, 2017 at 10:51am CST by Rory Parks

The Rams will request permission to speak with Falcons quarterbacks coach Matt LaFleur about their offensive coordinator position, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. LaFleur and new Rams head coach Sean McVay once worked together in Washington, and McVay believes LaFleur can implement his offense and help quarterback Jared Goff reach his potential. According to Schefter, the interest is mutual.

LaFleur, of course, would be a logical candidate to replace Kyle Shanahan as the Falcons’ OC, as Shanahan is set to accept the 49ers’ head coaching job. Just last week, LaFleur was also mentioned as a candidate to join Shanahan in the Bay Area as the 49ers’ new offensive coordinator, but now another California team could be in the lead for his services.

Atlanta, meanwhile, has expressed interest in Chip Kelly as their next offensive coordinator, and according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Kelly would have a real shot at the job if he keeps Shanahan’s system in place. Per Rapoport, LaFleur knows that he will be targeted by both the Rams and 49ers, but in the week leading up the Super Bowl, his mind was singularly focused on helping Atlanta capture its first Lombardi Trophy, and he was unwilling to discuss his future at length (Twitter link).

The 37-year-old LaFleur has served as an offensive assistant at both the collegiate and professional levels, with his most recent college job coming as the Notre Dame quarterbacks coach in 2014. He served in the same capacity with the Redskins from 2010-2013.

Julio Jones May Need Offseason Surgery; Latest On Alex Mack

February 5th, 2017 at 8:31am CST by Rory Parks

Falcons star receiver Julio Jones may need toe surgery this offseason, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. However, even though recovery from such a surgery would take months, it would not be expected to delay his 2017 season.

Of course, Jones has been battling a toe injury all year, and he missed two games during the regular season as a result. But he still managed to put up 1,409 receiving yards, the second-best total in the league, and six scores. The injury is not expected to impact offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan‘s play-calling in any way during Super Bowl LI.

Per Rapoport, Jones will receive a full evaluation after the Super Bowl, and depending on the source, surgery is either likely or possible. The procedure would fix torn ligaments associated with turf toe.

Jones has dealt with foot injuries in the past, but the present injury is unrelated to his prior ailments. He is also battling a sprained ankle, although that will not require surgery. He has admitted that he is in pain, but he has done his best to downplay it, calling himself “full go” for the Super Bowl even though he was officially listed as a limited participant in practice.

Perhaps even more troubling for the Falcons’ immediate prospects is the fact that starting center Alex Mack will play Super Bowl LI with a fracture in his left fibula that he suffered in the NFC Championship Game. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports that, if this were the regular season, Mack could miss six to eight weeks, and while the Falcons are confident Mack will hold up in pass-blocking, they are uncertain whether he will be effective on downfield blocks or whether his leg will even hold up for a full four quarters.

The fracture occurred above the plate that Mack had inserted in his left leg after he broke his fibula in 2014, though Schefter does not mention what the offseason holds for Mack. Mack will join an impressive list of players who played in the Super Bowl despite a similar injury. Jack Youngblood played in Super Bowl XIV with a broken fibula; Charles Woodson played in Super Bowl XXVII after having surgery for a crack in his right fibula a month earlier; and Terrell Owens played in Super Bowl XXXIX with a fractured fibula and torn ligament in his right ankle.

Falcons Notes: Jones, Ryan, Mack, Shanahan

February 4th, 2017 at 9:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

Contrary to some megadeals for one player, the 2011 Julio Jones trade ended up benefiting the team that sacrificed draft picks instead of the franchise that acquired them. And this might come up during Super Bowl LI on Sunday since Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff made the trade against the urging of former boss Bill Belichick.

“Bill was very open about it. He felt it was something he would not do. He said, ‘Thomas, are you sure you want to do this? You’re gonna be tied to this for the rest of your career,'” Dimitroff said, via Michael Silver of NFL.com. “We talked for 30 or 40 minutes. I remember coming back around at the end, saying, ‘All due respect — if and when you see we’re gonna pull the trigger on this tonight, your words didn’t fall on deaf ears.’ And in my mind I was thinking, [Forget] it: We’re doing this. It was surreal. Here’s a Hall of Fame coach and team-builder telling me not to do it, and I’m doing this anyway!”

The Falcons held the No. 27 selection after joining the Patriots as 2010 No. 1 seeds ousted in the divisional round. They surrendered four picks to the Browns for the No. 6 selection. Dimitroff authorized two first-round selections to go to Cleveland in the deal. No players remain on the Browns from that exchange.

Here’s more coming out of the NFC champions’ headquarters on the eve of their first Super Bowl in 18 years.

Newly crowned NFL MVP Matt Ryan will become the highest-paid player in football if he signs an extension this coming offseason — regardless of Sunday’s result, Joel Corry of CBS Sports tweets. The first Falcon to earn MVP acclaim, the 31-year-old Ryan has two more seasons remaining on his current deal, one that pays him the 11th-most money on average for QBs. But Falcons owner Arthur Blank said this week Ryan “will be” compensated well. He’s playing on the five-year, $103.75MM deal signed in 2013. That deal made Ryan the second-highest-paid player in football at the time. No player presently surpasses the $25MM-AAV mark, and Ryan — on the heels of a dominant regular season and amid a dynamic playoffs — could get there. Walk-year quarterbacks Matthew Stafford and Derek Carr could push for that distinction as well, but Corry believes Ryan’s deal will be the new standard. Andrew Luck‘s $24.59MM per year represents the current high-water mark.
Alex Mack looks set to play on Sunday after turning heads in practice this week, NFL.com’s Tiffany Blackmon reports (on Twitter). The standout center’s fibula injury “concerned” Dan Quinn this week, with Mack being a key presence in Atlanta’s ground game. Ben Garland serves as the Falcons’ backup center but saw Mack start in each of the NFC champions’ 18 games this season.
The seminal Jones trade serves as only one of the reasons the Browns helped the Falcons reach this stage. Cleveland bypassing the opportunity to select Teddy Bridgewater or Derek Carr with its No. 23 pick instead of Johnny Manziel in 2014 likely irked then-Browns OC Kyle Shanahan, per Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal, helping lead to his one-year tenure in northeast Ohio. Shanahan soon joined the Falcons after asking to be released from his contract.
Devonta Freeman is seeking “elite” money on his second contract. The Falcons’ starting running back becomes extension-eligible after the Super Bowl.

Arthur Blank: Falcons Will Extend Matt Ryan

February 3rd, 2017 at 9:30pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The NFC champion Falcons are inching closer to Super Bowl LI on Sunday, and once their showdown with the Patriots ends, they’ll reportedly get to work on locking up quarterback Matt Ryan for the long haul. Team owner Arthur Blank confirmed as much Friday, telling Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com: “[Ryan] needs to be compensated well, certainly. And he will be.”

Ryan is already under control for the next two seasons as a result of the five-year, $103.75MM extension he signed in 2013, though Blank is eager to keep the 31-year-old in the fold into his late 30s or early 40s.

“When Matt was being interviewed this week, somebody asked him, ‘What do you think about Tom Brady, his age, being 39 and will be 40 in August?’ and Matt said, ‘I’d like to play as long as Tom,’ ” Blank stated. “That’s when I jumped up off the sofa and starting clicking my heels. We have a lot of young talent on both sides of the ball. But to have our quarterback in place for an extended period of time will be incredible news for Atlanta. Matt is in great shape and takes wonderful care of himself. So, I’m excited.”

Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff expects to strike a deal with Ryan early in the offseason, having recently noted the organization’s strong rapport with the four-time Pro Bowler’s agent, Tom Condon, per McClure. Given that Ryan’s in the midst of the best season of his nine-year career, Condon will certainly push to improve his client’s standing as the league’s 11th-highest-paid QB in the game.

While Ryan has been a standout since the Falcons drafted him third overall in 2008, the ex-Boston College star has truly thrived this season as the face of one of the most prolific offenses of all-time. He earned first-team All-Pro honors and is the front-runner to win the MVP, which will be awarded Saturday, after completing 69.9 percent of passes, throwing for 4,944 yards on 9.26 yards per attempt, and tossing 38 touchdowns against seven interceptions during the regular season.

Playoff success had eluded the Ryan-led Falcons in their previous four postseason trips, but not this year. The NFC South champs steamrolled the Seahawks and Packers by a combined score of 80-41 en route to their second Super Bowl berth in franchise history. Those wins came thanks in no small part to Ryan, who has hit on 70.7 percent of passes and logged seven touchdowns against no picks in these playoffs. Supremacy for the league’s 2016 campaign will be on the line this weekend, but regardless of Sunday’s outcome, it appears Ryan will have plenty of future opportunities to win championships in Atlanta.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Michael Vick Admits NFL Career Is Likely Over

February 2nd, 2017 at 7:22pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Quarterback Michael Vick hasn’t played a snap since the 2015 season, and he’s aware that his NFL career is likely finished, as Jonathan Jones of Sports Illustrated writes in a detailed interview with the controversial signal-caller.

“Yeah, I think it’s it,” said Vick, responding to whether his career is over. “I’m kind of looking at life from a different perspective now. I’ve got kids growing that I’ve got to be there for. I was committed in 2016 to giving it one more shot. I’m very content with my career and what I’ve been able to accomplish. I accomplished more than I ever thought I would. Listen, at the end of the day, through all the downs I played, I can say I won a game for every team that I played for, even though I only made three starts in New York and three starts in Pittsburgh. I made a difference, I’m content with my career and I’m ready to move forward in life.”

As Vick notes, he had previously maintained that he was interested in continuing his career during the 2016 campaign, but although he reportedly received bits of interest from NFL clubs, no deal ever materialized. Given that Vick intimated that his playing days would not extend past 2016, his announcement that his time in the NFL is over doesn’t come as a major surprise.

If this is the end, Vick will have concluded one of the more complicated NFL careers in recent memory. Selected first overall by the Falcons in the 2001 draft, Vick quickly revolutionized the quarterback position, becoming a dual-threat weapon capable of making plays with both his arm and his legs. Though his passing acumen was sometimes suspect (he never topped a 60% completion percentage during his time in Atlanta), Vick was a weapon on the ground, and in 2006 became the first quarterback to rush for more than 1,000 yards. Vick ranks first among quarterbacks with 6,109 career rushing yards, leading second-place Randall Cunningham by more than 1,100 yards in that regard.

Of course, Vick’s career came crashing down in 2007, when he plead guilty to dog-fighting charges and was indefinitely suspended by the NFL. Facing both federal and state charges, Vick ultimately served less than two years in prison, and was released in July 2009. Though Vick has rehabilitated his image in some corners, and has even become an animal rights advocate, his legacy will likely always be tarnished by his involvement in that gruesome ordeal.

After being released from incarceration, Vick latched on with the Eagles in 2009 (despite much public outcry), and the following year posted perhaps the best season of his career, passing for more than 3,000 yards and 21 touchdowns against only six interceptions, adding another 676 yards and 10 scores via the ground game. Philadelphia lost in the Wild Card round in 2011, a game that marked the final postseason appearance of Vick’s career. After a few more middling and injury-marred seasons with the Eagles, Vick finished out his time in the NFL as a reserve for the Jets and Steelers in 2014 and 2015, respectively, managing six starts during those two campaigns.

Chip Kelly Legit OC Candidate For Falcons

January 31st, 2017 at 6:07pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Just over a week after the Falcons expressed interest in having Chip Kelly become their next offensive coordinator, the former Eagles and 49ers head coach has emerged as a “legitimate candidate” to land the role, reports Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Kelly would take over for Kyle Shanahan, who will replace Kelly as the 49ers’ head coach after the Falcons take on the Patriots in Super Bowl LI this Sunday.

The fact that there aren’t any other proven offensive coordinator candidates on the market makes Kelly a viable option for Atlanta, Schultz notes. Long an offensive guru, the 53-year-old Kelly would inherit an enviable collection of talent in Atlanta, whose attack has laid waste to opposing defenses this season. The Matt Ryan-, Julio Jones– and Devonta Freeman-led unit topped the NFL in both scoring and DVOA during the regular season, and it has combined for 78 points in playoff wins over the Seahawks and Packers.

Kelly is known for running a fast-paced offense, which helped lead to his downfall in both Philadelphia and San Francisco, but the ex-Oregon head coach’s NFL failures have “humbled” him, according to Schultz. As a result, Kelly is willing to slow things down, which he’d have to do in order to accommodate the Falcons’ offensive weapons and make life easier on the team’s defense.

Shanahan, meanwhile, won’t be able to take any significant members of head coach Dan Quinn‘s staff with him to San Francisco. The Falcons will prevent him from pilfering the likes of assistant head coach/wide receivers coach Raheem Morris, running backs coach Bobby Turner and offensive line coach Chris Morgan, a source told Schultz. However, offensive assistants Mike McDaniel, Mike LaFleur and Matt LaFleur could end up with Shanahan’s 49ers.

Devonta Freeman's Agent, Thomas Dimitroff "On Same Page"

January 30th, 2017 at 9:08pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Kristin Campbell, the agent for Falcons running back Devonta Freeman, publicly pushed for a lucrative contract extension for her client Monday afternoon. Campbell has since spoken again on Freeman’s future, telling D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that she and Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff “are on the same page” and will engage in extension talks during the offseason. Campbell will seek top three running back money for the 24-year-old Freeman, a back-to-back Pro Bowler. “Who was the last running back to go to back to back Pro Bowls?” Campbell said. “Adrian Peterson. Adrian is considered one of the most prolific backs of the past 10 years, wouldn’t you say?” Peterson’s current contract pays him an average of $14MM per year, which easily tops his position.

Devonta Freeman Seeking “Elite” Money

January 30th, 2017 at 4:33pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Falcons running back Devonta Freeman has a rather important game to play Sunday, but his representative is already looking past Atlanta’s Super Bowl LI matchup with the Patriots and ahead to the offseason. Given Freeman’s contributions to the NFC champions’ prolific offensive attack, he deserves “elite” money, agent Kristin Campbell told Mike Silver of NFL.com. Freeman still has another year left on his contract, but Campbell expects the Falcons to prioritize an extension for him in the offseason.

Freeman, a three-year veteran, is coming off his second straight regular season with 1,000-plus rushing yards, 13-plus total touchdowns and over 50 receptions. He has amassed those quality numbers despite working in a timeshare with 2015 third-round pick Tevin Coleman, which has frustrated Freeman and his agent.

“Oh, I’m certainly struggling with it, just because I’m a competitor,” Freeman said. “I just want to be around the ball as much as I can, to help the team win. Now we’re in the Super Bowl, and this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I don’t know how many carries or touches I’m gonna get going into this game, but I’m gonna try to make the most of every opportunity I get.”

Campbell, meanwhile, lamented that Freeman “gets significantly less opportunity than the others” who are top-caliber backs around the NFL. She also pointed to Freeman’s durability as another reason he deserves a sizable payday, as he has missed just one game in his career. With both that and Freeman’s production in mind, Campbell has reached out to the Falcons regarding an extension, but they haven’t yet responded. However, general manager Thomas Dimitroff informed Silver the Falcons are “extremely encouraged by Devonta, as a player and a person on this team” and will “address (his contract situation) after the season.”

For his part, Freeman insists he’s focused on the task at hand this week, noting that the Falcons have “too much to play for. After that, well, I feel like I’ve done my part. Now, hopefully, I’ll get rewarded.”

Freeman has piled up 209 total yards (87 rushing, 122 receiving) and two touchdowns in playoff wins over the Seahawks and Packers. He could, of course, further make his case for a massive raise over his current $600K salary with another strong showing on the game’s biggest stage Sunday.

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