The Falcons don’t have many of their own free agents to bring back, but one is garnering plenty of attention — Drew Dalman.
From fourth-round pick to the most sought-after center on the free agent market, Dalman has taken the opportunity and run with it. Now, he’ll be compensated very handsomely, with some even predicting he’ll reset the center market.
Gregg Rosenthal on the NFL Daily podcast reported that talk around the league is that Dalman will garner a contract that pays him $20 million a year, continuing by saying he doesn’t think the Falcons will be able to retain him.
“Talking to people around the league, he is going to get like a starting offensive lineman type of ‘What? Who got $20 million a year?’ But Drew Dalman will be that guy. He is absolutely getting that. I don’t think the Falcons are going to be able to afford to keep him,” Rosenthal said.
Rosenthal isn’t the only NFL pundit that believes Dalman will leave the Falcons in free agency. ESPN’s Aaron Schatz projected the Stanford product will ink a free agent contract with the offensive line-needy Texans.
“The Houston interior offensive line completely imploded in 2024, and incumbent starting center Juice Scruggs was near the bottom of the league with an 89.8% pass block win rate. Dalman would stabilize the middle of that line and will turn 27 next season. He started only nine games this past season because of an ankle injury but had a 95.1% pass block win rate when healthy. In 2023, his 94.0% PBWR ranked 10th among qualified centers. Dalman also fits a Houston running game that uses a lot of outside zone; no offense ran more outside zone than Atlanta this past season.”
Assuming Dalman gets $20 million per year, there’s a 0% chance the Falcons re-sign their fourth-round pick from 2021. That figure would not only reset the center market, but it would eclipse Creed Humphrey’s deal by $2 million per year. For that reason, I find it hard to believe.
The best player at a specific position is rarely the highest-paid player. It’s almost more important when a player hits free agency and the available players in that cycle. So perhaps Dalman is overpaid slightly, but I would be shocked if it was that much.
Drew Dalman is hitting the market at the right time. He’s the top player at his position, and there are multiple teams around the league — Bears, Packers, 49ers, Chargers, and more — in need of a center. That bodes very well for Dalman; however, is he $2 million per year better than Creed Humphrey?
NO.
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Photographer: John Byrum/Icon Sportswire
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