Falcons Had 'Significant Interest' in Free Agent LB Before Jets Signing

The NFL's legal tampering period won't start until Monday, and free agency doesn't begin until Wednesday -- but the Atlanta Falcons have already missed out on one expected target.

The New York Jets re-signed linebacker Jamien Sherwood, agreeing to a three-year contract worth up to $45 million and with $30 million guaranteed, ESPN's Adam Schefter tweeted Sunday night.

Had the 25-year-old Sherwood reached the open market, he was a logical fit to land in Atlanta, where defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich and defensive pass game coordinator Mike Rutenberg work. Ulbrich and Rutenberg spent the last four seasons coaching Sherwood in New York.

And according to FOX Sports insider Jordan Schultz, Ulbrich and Rutenberg wanted to keep their relationship going.

"Before re-signing with the Jets, Sherwood was expected to draw significant interest from the Falcons," Schultz tweeted Sunday night. "Atlanta's Jeff Ulbrich and Mike Rutenberg, who played key roles in Sherwood’s development during his career year, were eager to reunite with him."

In 2024, Sherwood played in all 17 games with 16 starts and was on the field for 93% of defensive snaps. He tallied 158 tackles, including an NFL-high 98 solo tackles, along with 10 tackles for loss and two sacks. Ulbrich was his defensive coordinator and, for 12 games, interim head coach, while Rutenberg served as his linebackers coach.

It was Sherwood's first season as a starter, and it initially wasn't supposed to be. Sherwood entered the season as a backup to C.J. Mosley, who missed all but four games due to toe and neck injuries.

Given an opportunity for extended action, Sherwood, a converted safety, impressed Ulbrich with his athleticism, character and combination of size and length at 6'2'', 216 pounds with 34-inch arm. He also took on a leadership role en route to earning the Jets' Most Valuable Player award, as voted by his teammates.

In his final days as Jets interim head coach, Ulbrich predicted Sherwood would be a hot commodity this offseason -- but New York didn't give him a chance to be lured elsewhere.

"You'd be hard-pressed to find a harder worker not only in this building, any building in the NFL," Ulbrich said. "I'm just so excited for the future now for him, because it's really planted seeds across the league as a guy everybody's going to want on their team, and he's going to get rewarded for it.

"He deserves every penny he's going to get."

Rutenberg, meanwhile, scouted Sherwood in college and believed in him enough to spark a position change. When Sherwood suffered a season-ending ankle injury as a rookie in 2021, Rutenberg told Sherwood how to rebrand his body -- while sticking by his side the whole time.

Sherwood said he has great appreciation for Rutenberg, as much off the field as on it.

"Every time I have a question for him, he never shies away, he's already ready to answer," Sherwood said. "I text him at 12 at night, he's going to respond. As a player, you always appreciate a coach like that because he cares about us and he wants us to do great and be successful on Sundays."

But ultimately, Sherwood chose to stay at home -- even though two of his closest coaches no longer reside there.