Devonta Freeman's Agent, Thomas Dimitroff "On Same Page"
- 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
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.
Matt LaFleur Could Join Kyle Shanahan With 49ers
Kyle Shanahan is widely expected to become the 49ers‘ next head coach, and now some are beginning to wonder how he will go about filling out his staff. As Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee writes, it is unlikely that Shanahan will be able to bring many of his Atlanta assistants with him given that most of those assistants are under contract with the Falcons or are loyal to Falcons head coach Dan Quinn. However, Barrows posits that Shanahan could bring current Atlanta quarterbacks coach Matt LaFleur to the Bay Area and install him as the 49ers’ offensive coordinator. LaFleur — who would also be a candidate to replace Shanahan as the Falcons’ OC — has worked with Shanahan for eight seasons in Atlanta, Washington, and Houston.
Vic Beasley Was Close To Being Traded/Cut During Training Camp
- Falcons linebacker Vic Beasley was close to being traded or cut during training camp, reports Gil Brandt of NFL.com (via Twitter). The fear of being let go apparently motivated the former first-rounder, as Beasley finished the season with 39 tackles, 15.5 sacks, and six forced fumbles.
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Chip Kelly Unlikely For Falcons OC Gig
- CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora would be “very, very surprised” if Chip Kelly ultimately replaces Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan (Twitter link). This move would have been a bit ironic, as Shanahan is set to replace Kelly as the head coach of the 49ers. Instead of moving to Atlanta, La Canfora suggest Kelly could catch on with the Patriots as a consultant/assistant.
- Speaking of Shanahan, Falcons coach Dan Quinn says the coordinator is set to meet with the 49ers on Saturday. “I’m really proud of him because it’s not easy to do when there is a lot of speculation and things going outside of your world to stay dialed in,” Quinn said (via Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution). “It’s one that should be commended. Being on point and going for it, he totally nailed that.”
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Falcons Interested In Chip Kelly As OC
The Falcons are getting a head start on replacing offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who is likely to become the next 49ers head coach. Atlanta is already lining up candidates for OC, and the club has expressed interest in former San Francisco/Philadelphia head coach Chip Kelly, according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Falcons To Pursue Matt Ryan Extension]
Kelly has met with at least one club since being dismissed by the 49ers, interviewing with the Jaguars about both their head coaching vacancy and their offensive coordinator position. Both of those roles were filled by internal candidates, as Jacksonville promoted Doug Marrone and Nathaniel Hackett to head coach and OC, respectively. Kelly also planned to meet with the Patriots and friend Bill Belichick, and was indeed spotted at Thursday’s practice session, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com.
Kelly, 53, posted a mixed record during his two head coaching stints, but does seem to want to remain in the NFL as an offensive coordinator. Despite poor results during the past few years, Kelly can still point to 2013 — his first season in the league — as a success after directing the Eagles’ offense to a No. 3 DVOA ranking and coaching quarterback Nick Foles to a 27:2 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Concerns about the quick pace of Kelly’s offense, and its negative effect on his club’s own defense, could continue to hinder Kelly’s job prospects, however.
While other potential candidates for the Falcons OC job aren’t yet known, internal options could include quarterbacks coach Matt LaFleur and offensive assistant Mike McDaniel, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com noted earlier this month.
Falcons To Pursue Extension For Matt Ryan
The Falcons and quarterback Matt Ryan are expected to explore an extension in the offseason, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Ryan is already under contract through the 2018 season, but Atlanta wants to be proactive when it comes to their star signal-caller, who may earn his first MVP award this year.
Ryan signed a five-year, $103.75MM deal at the end of the 2012 campaign, which culminated in a heartbreaking loss to the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. The following three seasons saw the Falcons fail to qualify for the playoffs, and Ryan himself played well enough, but he was certainly not in the MVP conversation.
But Ryan and the offense exploded in 2016, Kyle Shanahan‘s second year as the Falcons’ offensive coordinator. Ryan threw for nearly 5,000 yards and put up 38 touchdown passes to just seven interceptions, good for a league-leading 117.1 quarterback rating. More importantly, he led the club to an NFC South title, a first-round bye, and the chance to play for the team’s first Super Bowl championship.
Plus, a new contract would not adversely impact the team’s finances. Ryan’s 2017 cap number under his current deal would be $23.75MM, and an extension would likely reduce that figure. As Rapoport observes, the club is already paying the Boston College product over $20MM a year, so an extension would be “more of a continuation than a dramatic adjustment.”
Ryan and agent Tom Condon will likely attempt to eclipse Andrew Luck‘s new deal, which features an average annual value of $24.59MM. Since signing his own contract after the 2012 season, Ryan has slid down the ranks and is now the 11th-highest paid quarterback in the game. That is likely to change over the next few months.
Since entering the league as the third overall pick of the 2008 draft, Ryan has been a steadying influence under center for Atlanta, but one of the biggest knocks against him coming into this year is that he had won only one playoff game. But on the heels of a breakout season, Ryan has the Falcons trending upwards once again, and he will be handsomely rewarded.
Latest On 49ers’ GM Search
Before he withdrew from San Francisco’s general manager search Friday, Packers player personnel director Brian Gutekunst had been the favorite to land the job “for two weeks,” a source close to the 49ers told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle).
Eliot Wolf, another member of Green Bay’s front office, preceded Gutekunst in pulling out Thursday despite being a finalist for the position in San Francisco. The decisions Gutekunst and Wolf made don’t necessarily reflect poorly on the Niners, though, as a source close to the two told Jason Cole of Bleacher Report that “other factors” outside the team’s control led to their exits from the derby (Twitter link).
With Gutekunst and Wolf out of the picture, the GM-less 49ers could target Falcons director of football operations Nick Polk, tweets Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Polk is familiar with soon-to-be 49ers head coach and current Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, having worked with him in Atlanta the past two seasons. Speculatively, that could give Polk an advantage over the 49ers’ other GM candidates if they do pursue him.
As of now, San Francisco is set to conduct a second interview next week with Vikings assistant GM George Paton. Cardinals vice president of player personnel Terry McDonough and Jaguars director of player personnel Chris Polian are also possibilities for the 49ers’ GM role. The team hasn’t yet scheduled a second meeting with McDonough, however, and it hasn’t met with Polian at all.
Falcons Unlikely To Lose Position Coaches To 49ers
- The Falcons probably won’t let offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan take any of their position coaches with him if he accepts the 49ers’ head coaching job, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com hears (Twitter link). Maiocco reported Wednesday that Falcons secondary coach Marquand Manuel was a candidate to become Shanahan’s defensive coordinator in San Francisco, but that now appears unlikely.
NFLPA Announces Cap Carryover Amounts
The NFL Players Association has announced all 32 teams’ salary cap carryover amounts for the 2017 season (Twitter link). Next season’s cap figure isn’t yet known, but it’s likely to be in the $165MM range. When that becomes official, it can be added to each team’s carryover amount to determine that club’s official spending room for 2017.
Here are this year’s carryover totals:
- Cleveland Browns: $50,123,269
- Jacksonville Jaguars: $39,314,310
- San Francisco 49ers: $38,708,916
- Tennessee Titans: $24,046,522
- Washington Redskins: $15,055,131
- Carolina Panthers: $13,208,020
- Miami Dolphins: $8,363,708
- Chicago Bears: $8,103,197
- Oakland Raiders: $8,000,000
- Green Bay Packers: $7,984,687
- Philadelphia Eagles: $7,933,869
- Denver Broncos: $7,243,248
- Indianapolis Colts: $6,614,106
- Cincinnati Bengals: $6,578,866
- New Orleans Saints: $5,754,000
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $5,330,779
- New England Patriots: $5,292,335
- Kansas City Chiefs: $5,002,168
- Houston Texans: $4,935,924
- Detroit Lions: $4,725,644
- Arizona Cardinals: $4,405,068
- Pittsburgh Steelers: $3,269,367
- Buffalo Bills: $2,837,222
- Baltimore Ravens: $2,553,126
- Dallas Cowboys: $2,401,553
- Seattle Seahawks: $2,065,865
- New York Giants: $1,800,000
- Atlanta Falcons: $926,541
- Minnesota Vikings: $400,184
- New York Jets: $371,487
- Los Angeles Rams: $304,311
- Los Angeles Chargers: $113,693