Falcons 'Where I Wanted to Go', Says Saints Ex Kaden Elliss

Former New Orleans Saints linebacker Kaden Elliss signed a three-year contract in free agency to where he wanted to go, the Atlanta Falcons.

Jeremy Brener | Mar 18, 2023

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Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss got his wish in free agency, signing a three-year, $21.5 million contract.

The move keeps Elliss working under Ryan Nielsen, a defensive assistant who has seen him grow with the New Orleans Saints since starting out as a seventh-round pick in 2019.

Perhaps that reason, along with the opportunity to start in Atlanta, is why Elliss wanted to join the Falcons.

“The tampering period started on Monday," Elliss said via The Atlanta Journal-Consitution. "It actually started kind of slow. My agent didn’t give us a call for a while and then come to find out it was just because he was on the phone all day. So, we weren’t able to talk for a while, and then all of a sudden, he basically told us how Atlanta came out and how in his opinion, it was the spot for us to go. It was already kind of where I wanted to go. I was excited as soon as the deal, the time frame and just everything came together. I was really excited.”

Elliss was a reserve during his first three years in the league, but blossomed in 2022 with the Saints. He started 11 games for the team and recorded seven of his eight career sacks. The Falcons are putting a lot of faith in Elliss to help improve a pass rush that has struggled in the sack department. Atlanta's pass rush finished dead last in sacks in 2021 and 31st in 2022.

His career mimics how his free agency process went ... slow, then all of a sudden, everything came together, Elliss was rewarded. Now, the Falcons hope their investment will bring them some rewards over the next three seasons.

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Published Mar 18, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.