Cal Football: Is Ex-Cal Star Alex Mack Entering His Final NFL Season?
Dave Holcomb of Falcon Report provided an interesting story about the Atlanta Falcons’ offensive line, suggesting that former Cal center Alex Mack may be approaching the end of his career.
Since being a first-round pick in 2009, Mack has been an outstanding NFL center for 11 seasons for the Browns and Falcons and has been selected to the Pro Bowl six times. He has played and started all 16 regular-season games in 10 of those 11 seasons, giving him 165 pro starts.
But he can’t play forever.
Mack, who is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2020 season, told ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure in early May that he plans to play this season, then decide whether he wants to continue.
"Going into Year 12, I feel pretty good and excited for it, ready to take it on,'' Mack told ESPN. "I'll play the year out, see how I feel -- how my body works and how much I'm enjoying it -- then make the decision at the end of year if I want to keep going or what. The future is unknown, and that's the way I'm looking at it. Every year is one year at a time: keep going, prepare, and play, and do everything as best as I can. Then I'll see where I'm at.''
In Falcon Report, Holcomb notes the Falcons have made offensive linemen a priority in the past two drafts, taking guard Chris Lindstrom and tackle Kaleb McGary in the first round last year, and grabbing offensive lineman Matt Hennessy from Temple in the third round for depth in this year’s draft.
NFL Network analyst Shaun O’Hara told Holomb that he liked the selection of Hennessy.
Here is an excerpt from that article:
“I thought that was a great pickup,” O’Hara said. “Watching him on film, he absolutely looks like he could be a great protege for Alex Mack, and I think bringing him into the mix, he can play guard if they need him to, but having him there to be able to kind of learn under Alex and kind of watch him work, watch him study and learn how he watches film, I think that’s a huge pickup for that O-line room and really for that center position whenever he’s ready to step in.”
Halcomb goes on to note the following:
Mack is a six-time Pro Bowler, but he snapped his streak of consecutive Pro Bowl appearances with a subpar 2019 season and will turn 35 in November. It's possible Hennessy, or perhaps even Lindstrom with Hennessy sliding in at right guard, could start at center for the Falcons as early as 2021.
Mack is certainly not finished as a starting offensive lineman, and even at age 35 he could regain Pro Bowl-level form. He will earn a base salary of $8 million in 2020 plus a $2.5 million signing bonus, and is one of five Falcons players that will have salary-cap numbers of $10 million or more, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
But he is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2020 season.
He had no problem with the Falcons drafting Hennessey and being asked to mentor him.
"I told him like, 'Hey, glad you're on the team. I'll help you as much as a I can,''' Mack told ESPN.com’s McClure. "And I don't know. Will he play center in the year? Will I be out of the league? Will I be on a different team? Will I still be a Falcon? The future is unknown there. But it's my duty to help him be as good as he can be. If he's a teammate or a former teammate, if I can help the younger guys learn more, it only helps you. It makes me a valuable part of the team to be able to coach people.”
Mack’s decision about his future may depend on how well the Falcons do in 2020.
"If we have a really good year and do everything we want, and I feel great and they want me back again, absolutely, let's do it again,'' he told McClure. "There's no real use in me worrying about it too much now. You take it as it comes. You play the year out and see where things are when it is time to make a decision.''
Mack is working out at home in California during the coronavirus pandemic.
Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53
Click the "follow" button in the top right corner to join the conversation on Cal Sports Report on SI. Access and comment on featured stories and start your own conversations and post external links on our community page.
