Falcons' Bud Dupree Signing: Contract Details, Motives Revealed
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The Atlanta Falcons have enjoyed a fruitful (and expensive) offseason, headlined by the additions of safety Jessie Bates III and defensive end Calais Campbell.
But Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot continues to pursue upgrades - the latest being outside linebacker Bud Dupree, who signed a one-year contract with Atlanta last week.
The deal was initially reported to be worth up to $5 million but offered few other details - until now, as Dupree's full contract has been released by OverTheCap ...
Fully Guaranteed: $2.49 million
Base Salary: $1.24 million
Signing Bonus: $1.25 million
Per-Game Roster Bonus: $510,000
Total Cap Hit: $2.8 million (1.2 percent of Atlanta's cap space)
Dupree's deal is officially valued at $3 million, putting him at No. 59 out of 200 edge rushers.
After being released by the Tennessee Titans, Dupree opted to sign with the Falcons over the Pittsburgh Steelers, who drafted him No. 22 overall in 2015 and watched him develop into a standout pass rusher, as he logged 19.5 sacks over his final two years in the Steel City.
But, why?
Former Steelers offensive guard Ramon Foster said that he spoke with Dupree shortly after the decision and revealed the following on The Ramon Foster Show.
"I know what Pittsburgh is, I know they want me there, I know what I am getting myself into," Dupree told Foster. "This is the hardest decision I've had to make. I wanted to be able to just do a one-year deal, and Pittsburgh wanted two. I want to have a good year and hit the market again."
Dupree received a five-year, $82.5 million deal from the Titans in 2021 after his time with the Steelers came to a close, but his stint lasted just two seasons.
The 30-year-old Dupree played in 22 games with 17 starts as a Titan, recording seven sacks, eight tackles for loss and 17 quarterback hits.
Now, the Macon, Ga., native is back home - and has his sights set towards a bounce back campaign with the aim of getting a bigger deal next offseason.
And if he does, the Falcons will only prove to benefit in 2023.
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft
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