Falcons Create More Cap Space With Darnell Mooney Move: Report

The Atlanta Falcons are among the teams with the least amount of salary cap space in the NFL entering the 2025 season. But after Wednesday, they have a little bit more wiggle room.

ESPN's Field Yates reported Wednesday morning the Falcons restructured wide receiver Darnell Mooney's contract. With the new-looking deal, the Falcons have $6 million more in cap space for the 2025 season.

Teams creating cap space via contract restructures:

The Falcons created $6M by restructuring WR Darnell Mooney’s deal

The Bills created just under $8M by restructuring OT Dion Dawkins’ deal

The Bears created $8M by restructuring CB Jaylon Johnson’s deal
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 3, 2025

According to Spotrac, the Falcons opened the additional cap space with a $7.5 million restructured bonus. Mooney is entering the second season of the three-year contract he signed in March 2024.

After the restructured contract, Over the Cap had the Falcons ranked 23rd in cap space with about $7.75 million.

It's unlikely the Falcons opened the additional space with a player in mind to sign. More probable than not, the team just wanted more room to sign a free agent if that becomes necessary during the season.

The most obvious spot where that could happen is right tackle. Starter Kaleb McGary is set to miss the entire season, and backup swing tackle Storm Norton is expected to sit out the first half of the campaign.

Veteran Elijah Wilkinson is in line to start at right tackle in Week 1.

If the Falcons don't use the additional $6 million in cap space they created with the restructured Mooney deal, the team can carry it over onto the 2026 payroll.

Should the Falcons carry over that extra space, it could be used to re-sign fellow receiver Drake London. The 24-year-old is entering the fourth year of his rookie deal and is the next Falcons star in line for an extension. London, though, won't be a free agent until after March 2027 because the team picked up his fifth-year club option for 2026.

Before Mooney's new deal, the Falcons were 30th in salary cap space according to Over the Cap. Only the New York Giants and Buffalo Bills had less money to spend toward the upcoming season.

On the field, the focus is on whether Mooney will play in Week 1 for the Falcons against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The team's No. 2 wideout dealt with a shoulder injury throughout the preseason. Falcons head coach Raheem Morris called Mooney day-to-day to reporters on Monday.

Said a lot of what the Falcons are looking for to decide on Mooney's status is whether he is game-ready. Not really working through anything physically with the shoulder, more about having been off the grass for a month. https://t.co/J2A9tr7J8M
— Tori McElhaney (@tori_mcelhaney) September 1, 2025

Last season, Mooney posted 64 catches, 992 receiving yards and five touchdowns in 16 games. He averaged a career-best 15.5 yards per catch and 62 receiving yards per game.

His receiving yards per game average just about matched his career high from the 2021 campaign.

The Falcons will host the Buccaneers to kick off the 2025 season at 1 pm ET on Sunday.