The Falcons have only signed three free agents, one being their own. However, none of them have been what many consider to be difference makers.
Mike Hughes surprised a lot of Falcons fans last season, including me. I fully expected the position to be a revolving door, as it always has been opposite of A.J. Terrell, but Hughes solidified himself as a reliable starter.
Divine Deablo was given a two-year, $14 million deal, which would indicate that the Falcons have some level of confidence in the linebacker cracking the starting lineup. That’s not backup money.
The most notable acquisition has been Leonard Floyd. The Georgia native returns home and brings some much-needed juice to the Falcons’ pass rush. He’s totaled at least 8.5 sacks in each season since 2020, which is an upgrade over what the defense had last year. Still, nobody should expect Floyd to carry the pass rush. He’s a complementary piece more than anything.
But I’m here to tell you that it’s okay that the Falcons aren’t spending big in free agency. I want to preface by saying this: don’t listen to your friend who says they don’t have money to sign anyone. That’s not true. Restructuring the contracts of Chris Lindstrom, Jessie Bates, and A.J. Terrell would give the Falcons over $25 million in cap space to work with.
Now that we understand the Falcons can spend, we can move onto why they might not be spending. According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, it might be because the free agent class isn’t worth spending money on.
“It’s a really bad group overall,” one AFC executive told Breer about the free agent class.
“Rapid growth has left teams with every resource they need to keep the players they want. Forget about just the quarterbacks. If you have a left tackle, receiver, corner, or pass rusher you want to retain, there’s almost no chance he gets to free agency. And if there’s even a hint it could happen? He’ll be traded ahead of time,” Breeer wrote before the legal tampering period.
So while some Falcons fans are discouraged about Terry Fontenot’s lack of moves during free agency, take some solace in knowing this group is considered a poor class by executives. If the team is going to make a splash, the kind of move that actually moves the needle, it will be on the trade market at this point. The marquee free agents are gone.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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