The Falcons brought in the biggest undrafted free-agent class — 20 UDFAs — across the league this year. This shouldn’t be a surprise, as Terry Fontenot made it clear they would bring in one of the largest classes this offseason. As soon as the draft is over, teams can sign as many UDFAs as they please. They only have to abide by the 90-man offseason roster size. Teams can bid against one another for a player’s services, and sometimes prospects would rather go undrafted than go in the seventh round so they can choose where they go.
According to Roster Management System via Michael Rothstein, the Falcons have guaranteed some major cash for UDFA standards. Many point towards Javian Hawkins as the marquee UDFA, given those people thought he would be drafted and his $30K guaranteed, but Caleb Huntley is actually guaranteed more — $35K.
According to Roster Management System, some guaranteed money for Falcons UDFAs:
RB Javian Hawkins: $30K
RB Caleb Huntley: $35K
WR Austin Trammell: $5K
TE John Raine: $5K
OL Kion Smith $7,500
OL Ryan Neuzil: $5K
DL Kobe Jones: $20K
LB Erroll Thompson: $15K
S JR Pace: $10K— Michael Rothstein (@mikerothstein) May 13, 2021
Some other notable UDFA guarantees are Kobe Jones ($20K) and Erroll Thompson ($15K), both signed out of Mississippi State. Not only do UDFAs get the opportunity to choose where they go, but the difference in rookie salaries is also negligible beyond the sixth round. It is a bit surprising Huntley received more guaranteed money than Hawkins; the two running backs will be pushing Quadree Ollison and Cordarrelle Patterson during camp.
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