The most significant moves the Falcons have made this offseason have come in the form of goodbyes, most notably Grady Jarrett, who the club (somewhat) surprisingly released earlier this week.
I say surprisingly because while it was always a possibility, given his $20+ million cap hit, it doesn’t take the sting away of parting ways with a franchise icon. Grady Jarrett will one day be inducted into the Falcons Ring of Honor, so no matter how much I reason with you that this decision was warranted, it’ll still hurt.
Nevertheless, the Falcons couldn’t stomach that price tag for the level of production Jarrett provided last year. They approached the veteran about reworking his deal, which I can only assume meant some combination of a pay cut and extension. Obviously, Jarrett got word that he would garner more on the free agent market, electing to decline Atlanta’s offer.
He must’ve had good information because, within the day, news broke that the Bears inked Grady Jarrett to a three-year, $43.5 million deal. The report was met with jeers from Falcons fans; however, I think it’s a deal that could sour very quickly for the Bears, and ESPN’s Seth Walder agrees, giving the team a D grade.
“The Bears know they’re getting the 2025 (and 2026) version of Jarrett and not, like, 2020 Jarrett, right? He has long been a favorite player of mine, and from 2018 to 2020 or so, he was very much in the mix for the best DT not named Aaron Donald. But Jarrett has aged since then, and those times are long gone.
At his peak, Jarrett recorded a 21% pass rush win rate at defensive tackle (in 2019). That number has dropped every season since to the point where he was at just 9% in 2024. That’s still technically average for a defensive tackle, though that number includes run-stopping specialists — which isn’t Jarrett. So $14.5 million per year for him would be an overpay.
And what kicks this contract into “D-grade” territory is the $28.5 million fully guaranteed. It’s not just Jarrett’s age-32 season the Bears are signing; this deal ensures they’re signed up for his age-33 season, too.”
Could you blame Grady Jarrett for saying goodbye to the Falcons? You shouldn’t. This deal, which his agent most certainly got wind of before Jarrett made a decision, was too good to pass up. The Falcons were likely offering to extend him and take a pay cut in the meantime.
If you’re Grady Jarrett, are you going to take less money to play on a worse defensive line? I wouldn’t. Still, that doesn’t mean it’s a good deal for the Bears. Sack-wise, Jarrett had a down year, but he was still disruptive. A year further removed from the ACL injury and Jarrett might recapture that magic he had earlier in his career; the chances are just unlikely.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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