Falcons Say Low-Spending Free Agency Went According to Plan

Now over three weeks removed from the official start of free agency, the Atlanta Falcons' signees rank in the bottom six league-wide in average per-year salary and full guarantees and 25th in total money, according to OverTheCap.

Toss in the departure of three-year starting center Drew Dalman to the Chicago Bears and the release of franchise staple defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, and Atlanta's first few waves of free agency felt like a team fighting to stay afloat without much financial capital to help its cause.

But the Falcons aren't disappointed in the returns of their early haul.

Instead, head coach Raheem Morris said Tuesday at the NFL league meetings in Palm Beach, Fla., that Atlanta's free agency went as he had expected -- particularly after a lofty spending spree last spring in which the Falcons dished over $240 million total in the first two weeks of the 2024 league year.

"It's always hard to have two big back-to-back years in free agency," Morris said. "Signing probably the No. 1 free agent in last year's class and all those things, you got to have a realistic approach to how you want to do. and a strategic approach on what you want to do, when you do it with your money and how you want to do it from an analytical standpoint."

The Falcons' investment on quarterback Kirk Cousins will likely end with $100 million for 14 starts and an offseason headache. Between Cousins and Michael Penix Jr.'s first-round rookie contract, Atlanta has a $46 million cap hit at quarterback, the sixth-highest mark in the league.

Such a financial commitment under center is necessary but comes with negative side effects.

"Definitely, when you have the money allocated when we have in the position that we have it allocated in, there's going to be a little bit of stretches," Morris said. "There will be some harder things you got to do, and those are things that are always realistic in what we do and how we go about our business."

Perhaps the hardest move the Falcons made was releasing Jarrett, a 10-year veteran, six-time captain and two-time Pro Bowler. Morris dubbed it a "business decision," but that didn't ease the pain.

Atlanta didn't want to lose Jarrett. Led by general manager Terry Fontenot, the Falcons tried restructuring Jarrett's deal, but the two sides failed to see eye to eye on financials. Jarrett ultimately signed a three-year, $43.5 million contract with the Bears five hours after his release.

The Falcons saved over $16 million by releasing Jarrett, who started all 17 games and recorded 2.5 sacks, nine tackles for loss and 12 quarterback hits in 2024. It was his first season back from a torn ACL suffered in Week 8 of 2023.

Morris and Jarrett arrived in Atlanta together in 2015. Neither wanted their pairing to end. The Falcons, however, had to open cap space, and Jarrett felt he deserved better compensation.

It's logical for both sides. That didn't make it easier.

"That was one that was one of the tougher decisions that went on throughout the offseason," Morris said. "And when you got to find a way to make all these things meet, we talked about how you fit in within the cap, and what your structures are, and how you want to have a person fit in, we just couldn't come into an agreement.

"And that's one of those things ... that was very tough."

The Falcons created cap space in various ways. In addition to releasing Jarrett, they extended left tackle Jake Matthews and restructured the contracts of cornerback A.J. Terrell and right guard Chris Lindstrom.

Atlanta used its cap space to bring back nine players and sign 10 others on the free agent market.

The Falcons re-signed starting cornerback Mike Hughes, Pro Bowl special teams ace KhaDarel Hodge and defensive linemen Ta'Quon Graham and Kentavius Street, among others.

In free agency, Atlanta added outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, safety Jordan Fuller, inside linebacker Divine Deablo and defensive lineman Morgan Fox as primary pieces. Receiver Jamal Agnew will take over as the team's primary returner alongside fellow wideout Ray-Ray McCloud, replacing Avery Williams, who left for the Philadelphia Eagles this spring.

Floyd, Fuller and Deablo are in line to play significant snaps.

"Just put those guys plug-and-play," Morris said. "We'll go out there and compete at a high level and let those guys go fight for everything. Obviously on defense, you can play a lot of things. You can have guys move. You can have guys play different spots, and I'm excited to get all these guys."

The 32-year-old Floyd, who has 48 sacks over the past five seasons, is the crown jewel of the Falcons' signing class. His one-year, $10 million contract was the largest Atlanta handed out, and he and Deablo are the only two signees with a cap hit greater than $4 million in 2025.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank, who also spoke Tuesday at the annual league meetings, expressed satisfaction with Atlanta's free agency moves given the team's "limited amount of cap space" entering the signing period.

"I think the football ops folks, coaches, etc., did a good job reassessing how to extend some players to free up some cap dollars," Blank said. "We picked up as many players as we could. We picked up some good ones. A lot of it, you pick up players, and then a big part of the job is what the coaches do with them in the system.

"So, we have players that play someplace else, they come here and suddenly they become even better maybe in another system. So, I feel like we did a really good job, as much as we could."

Blank also said the Falcons can -- and will -- add more to their defense in the 2025 NFL draft, which starts April 24.

Atlanta has $168 million tied up in its offense, the most in the NFL, and it expects to be explosive in 2025. But defensively, the Falcons need to upgrade all three levels. They have only $20.4 million committed to their edge group, the fourth-lowest number in the league, and they rank 23rd league wide with a total of $107.2 million spent on their defense.

But as Blank referenced, the Falcons did as much as they financially could to help the unit. Six of Atlanta's 10 external signings were defenders, and the other four -- Agnew, kicker Lenny Krieg and tight ends Feleipe Franks and Teagan Quitoriano -- are special teams-centered, though Quitoriano may also see time as an additional blocker on offense.

Atlanta knows its roster still needs help, but it also believes it added viable solutions to help fill various vacancies, resulting in a free agency period that ultimately left Morris pleased.

"There's always going to be disappointing parts about a free agency. There's always going to be parts about free agency where you kind of got some things you wanted to get done," Morris said. "There's always going to be ways you feel and try to find a way to build your football team.

"But to sit here and say you're shocked it didn't go quite how you had hoped -- if you could have got some of the bigger names or whatever the case may be -- I would be foolish to say that."