Given Atlanta’s cap situation, some very difficult decisions must be made if the Falcons are going to put the best possible roster around Michael Penix Jr. and finally break a seven-year postseason drought.

The Falcons currently sit around $7 million over the projected salary cap for the 2025 season. Some obvious restructures will get them back into the green, while others will be the subject of trade talks — such as Kirk Cousins and Kyle Pitts. However, there will also be some household names potentially on the chopping block.

Nick Korte of Over The Cap recently put together a list of 100 notable players across the NFL who are cut candidates this offseason, and three Falcons were included.

Potential Falcons Cap Casualties

Younghoe Koo

How could Younghoe Koo not be included after what transpired this season? He directly contributed to a number of losses, likely costing the Falcons a postseason berth. In total, he missed nine of his 34 field goal attempts before ending the season on IR. The Falcons will bring Koo back to camp and see if he can become more consistent after a full offseason to get healthy. But some quality competition must be brought in, and Atlanta can save $3 million by cutting him.

Grady Jarrett

This would undoubtedly be the most difficult pill to swallow if it happens, but the Falcons have to do something with Grady Jarrett’s contract this offseason. They’ll likely attempt to convince him to take a pay cut or re-work his deal, possibly even giving him a small extension to lower his cap hit. If they can’t figure something like that out, a trade might also be on the table.

However, an outright release is not out of the realm of possibilities. Jarrett has a cap hit north of $20 million next season, and the Falcons can save over $16 million against this year’s cap by releasing him, even more if they designate him a post-June 1st cut.

Jarrett is one of the longest-standing members of the team and a critical piece of the locker room. He’s also one of the best players across the Falcons defensive front, an area where Atlanta should be trying to add rather than subtract. With that being said, when teams make terrible decisions like handing Kirk Cousins $100 million guaranteed, it can sometimes result in parting ways with a cornerstone piece like Grady Jarrett.

David Onyemata

There’s no question that the combination of Grady Jarrett and David Onyemata severely underperformed preseason expectations. The two were touted as one of the most menacing interior defensive tackle duos in the league and ended up being average at best. They combined for just 5.5 sacks, and Atlanta’s defense was gashed on the ground throughout the entire season. So, seeing these two on this list should not come as a surprise.

However, one has to wonder how much the defense’s deficiencies had to do with an inadequate defensive coordinator in Jimmy Lake. Whoever replaces him will surely have a say in the future of Jarrett and Onyemata. Both have had incredible careers, but Father Time doesn’t rest for anybody.

By cutting Oneymata, who has a cap hit in 2025 of nearly $17 million, the Falcons can save a little over $8 million, which could be closer to $13 million if it is designated a post-June 1st cut.

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Of the three names listed, Younghoe Koo feels the most likely to get outright released before the start of next season. Jarrett and Onyemata can still contribute, and the Falcons shouldn’t be trying to get worse across their defensive front, an area that’s been a problem for almost two decades. I expect the Falcons to attempt to re-work the contracts of those two, and if they don’t oblige, explore a potential trade before just outright releasing them. 

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Photographer: Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire