Not a question of if but when will the Falcons create more cap space

Following the initial wave of offseason moves, the Falcons have minimal cap space, but they have plenty of ways to create more. It’s not a question of if Atlanta will create more, but rather a question of when they’ll do it.

According to Spotrac, the Falcons currently have around $2.6 million in cap space. That’s not enough to do anything, including even signing the projected draft class, which is going to cost around $12 million with their current allotment of picks.

The Falcons not only have to create more cap space to sign their draft class, but free agency isn’t over, and this roster isn’t in a position to seriously compete with Kirk Cousins in the fold.

The team signaled to the rest of the league that they are all in when they inked the veteran to a $180 million deal. There are still holes on the roster, particularly at the edge and cornerback positions.

So, we know there’s a need to do so, but how will the Falcons create more cap space? It’s something that I’ve already talked about, which you can read more about here.

Figures from OverTheCap:

• Restructure Jake Matthews contract: (Saved: $9,526,667)
• Restructure Grady Jarrett contract: (Saved: $7,520,000)
• Restructure Chris Lindstrom contract: (Saved: $9,100,000)
• Restructure Jessie Bates contract: (Saved: $7,916,667)
• Release Taylor Heinicke: (Saved: $7.060,000)
• Release Lorenzo Carter: (Saved: $3,750,000)
• Release Mike Hughes: (Saved: $3,095,000)
• Total Savings: $47,968,334

That’s nearly $48 million in savings and doesn’t include the potential relief that an A.J. Terrell contract extension could provide. The Falcons have plenty of options to create more cap space.

Obviously, Terry Fontenot isn’t going to max restructure the contracts of Jake Matthews, Grady Jarrett, Chris Lindstrom, and Jessie Bates. This was just an exercise to show you the Falcons have plenty of options to create as much cap space as they really want.

Expect a couple of these moves to come over the next month or so.

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Photographer: Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire