Why Kaden Elliss Has Become a Priority Extension for the Falcons

FLOWERY BRANCH – The Atlanta Falcons have a looming decision to make on linebacker Kaden Elliss. Not only is he an important contributor to the box score every Sunday, but he is a leader in the locker room that cannot be easily replaced.

With defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich set to return for a second season under the new coaching staff led by Kevin Stefanski, the linebacker should be a priority extension for the Falcons this offseason.

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Elliss, who will turn 31 this season, signed a three-year, $21.5 million contract with the team out of free agency in 2023, with $10.16 guaranteed ($7.2 AAV). The linebacker rewarded the Falcons by starting every game of his contract, totaling 380 tackles, 12.5 sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery.

That contract is set to expire this offseason, making Elliss a free agent.

Ulbrich, who took the podium on Wednesday alongside the new offensive and special teams coordinators, used the opportunity to make the case for the veteran linebacker.

Before anything Elliss does on the field, which is impressive in its own right, Ulbrich took the time to highlight his affinity for the player off of it.

“I would love Kaden back,” the Falcons’ defensive coordinator said. “I think we all would. When I think of Kaden, and I know this sounds nuts, but I think of the human being that he is first, the leader that he is, what he does behind closed doors. He is one of the most amazing human beings I've been around from a character standpoint. His influence on this group, not just from a football process standpoint, but to the way they parent their kids, the way they care for themselves as a man, all that in between, he's amazing.”

Replacing him on the field would be a wholly separate challenge, Ulbrich explained.

“The player that he is gave us this really unique flexibility,” he said. “To think a guy could play world-class line of scrimmage play, but at the same time, you could stack him behind the ball, and he could play world-class stack linebacker play.

“Then the mental processing that he had. I mean, I've never had a line of scrimmage player run a defense. In a lot of our defenses, he was a line of scrimmage player. It's a testament to not only his intelligence, but it's probably a bigger testament to his process and how hard he worked at it. Elite communicator [and] mental processor. We put a lot on his plate, and he thrived.

According to Spotrac, the Falcons currently have ~$27.7 million in cap space ahead of any roster cuts or extensions. That figure will change rapidly as the league year and free agency approach. Elliss joins a list of pending free agents that includes David Onyemata, Kyle Pitts Sr., Tyler Allgeier, and Dee Alford, among others.

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His projected AAV sits at about $9 million, similar to what will be a crowded free agency market at the linebacker position.

When the time for a decision comes, the Falcons would be wise to keep the opinion of their defensive coordinator in mind when he says, “To replace Kaden would take more than one human being.”