Falcons 'Don't Want to Win!'? Ex Star Rips Atlanta for Huge Chris Lindstrom Free Agent Signing

"Falcons gave a guard 105?'' tweeted Gerald McCoy, the former Panthers D-lineman. "Good for him but they don’t want to win. I’m happy he got paid. But forget the Falcons!!!''

The Atlanta Falcons on Day 1 of NFL free agency proved one thing at least: You can't please everybody.

While the other NFL teams who "sat this one out'' are getting roasted by their fans for inactivity (the Dallas Cowboys come to mind), most Falcons fans are elated that Atlanta is in "go for it'' mode.

The massive Jessie Bates signing.

The interesting Jonnu Smith trade.

The big Kaden Elliss signing.

The big David Onyemata signing.

Heck, they even made a money commitment to the punter with a deal for Bradley Pinion.

Oh, and one more thing ...

The Falcons sealed a five-year, $105 million deal with arguably their best player, All-Pro guard Chris Lindstrom.

Anybody got a problem with that?

"Falcons gave a guard 105?'' tweeted Gerald McCoy, the former Panthers and Bucs D-lineman. "Good for him but they don’t want to win. I’m happy he got paid. But forget the Falcons!!!''

McCoy is no dummy ... but he's acting like one here. We wonder if he has much awareness of the talents of Lindstrom, though we concede that any time a guy becomes "the highest-paid player at his position,'' there is some sticker shock.

But since when is it not advantageous to sign an elite player, especially when he's a "sign our own'' guy, and especially when the team has the room to do so?

One other oddity - and maybe this simply speaks to McCoy's career-long NFC South rivalry with Atlanta: How often do we see an NFL player speak out against a colleague getting paid?

"The Falcons don't want to win''?

Paying a guard this way is not conventional. But the same could be said for paying a safety and paying a punter. Fact is, though, Lindstrom is among the best guards in the NFL, was Atlanta's Man of the Year nominee and is just 26 years old.

If these Falcons - who clearly do want to win - ever do so on a high and consistent level, it's a good bet that Chris Lindstrom will be a foundational reason for it.

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