Disclaimer: The statements and opinions regarding players and/or potential future players in the article below are those of the AtlantaFalcons.com editorial staff and are not of the Atlanta Falcons' football personnel unless noted in a direct quote.
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The new league year begins on Wednesday, March 12, a date that looms large as the NFL Scouting Combine officially comes to a close.
With the new league year comes big questions regarding teams' salary cap situations and capacity to spend in free agency. The Falcons are among the teams with some of the most significant questions yet to be answered.
The league informed teams on Feb. 27 that the 2025 salary cap would be set at $279.2 million. This is a $23.8 million increase from the year prior, which aligns with the trends of the post-COVID-19 era. Since the 2021 season, the salary cap has risen $24.18 per year on average. This is welcomed news for the Falcons, which is one of a handful of organizations that needs to clear salary cap space.
The Falcons have a little ways to go to become cap compliant, but it's not insurmountable by any stretch of the imagination. As of the morning of March 3, the Falcons are just $5.28 million over the cap. They are one of six teams in the red, but not by much.
With moves set to be made in the coming weeks, let's look at some key facts and figures of the Falcons' 2025 salary cap situation.
Editor's note: All numerical values are attributed to OverTheCap.com. That includes overall team stands and contract details. This is a fluid situation as the league year draws near, so these are the numbers as they stand on Monday, March 3.
The Kirk Cousins effect
General manager Terry Fontenot said at the combine last week the Falcons are prepared to move forward with Cousins as Michael Penix Jr.'s backup quarterback, despite his $40 million cap hit in 2025, which is 14% of the team's allotment.
"We understand that it's not ideal to have a quarterback at that cap number," Fontenot said. "Now, when we gave him that contract, the expectation was for him to be the starter at this point, and so that is a good a number for a starting quarterback. But now that he's the backup, when we say we're comfortable, we're talking about the total funds allocated to the quarterback position. And that's already baked in. It was baked in for him as a starter at that point. But now, as a backup, he handled himself well at the end of the season. So, when you look at our team, we're comfortable at this point."
Questions abound at the combine regarding Cousins' future with the organization, which is what led Fontenot to this answer. We went into great detail laying out the terms of Cousins' deal in a recent article that you can read here.
In essence, though: Cousins is owed a $10 million roster bonus, set to pay out on March 17. In no way can the Falcons release Cousins and save any money towards the cap. The only way for Atlanta to accrue any type of savings is via a trade. However, it is well-documented that Cousins has a no-trade clause. There are too many moving parts right now for that to be a viable option seeing as Cousins and his camp have to agree to waive it and the Falcons have to agree to part ways with him with a reasonable offer from another team. What's more, the best-case scenario for the Falcons in this instance would be to wait until after June 1 to agree to a trade. Hypothetically speaking, Atlanta could save Cousins' base salary of $27.5 million if this came to pass. But it would also mean they've paid out that $10 million roster bonus.
It's important to note, however, that all of this writing could be for not. Fontenot has been clear from the beginning on the Falcons' stance that they are "comfortable" keeping Cousins on the roster. The question right now as it stands is: Is Cousins comfortable?
Is Grady Jarrett untouchable?
There are always cap casualties across the league in March. It's the reality of the business. The elephant in the room for Atlanta in this regard is Jarrett's contract. Having just wrapped up his 10th year in the league — a full decade as a Falcon — Jarrett has no guaranteed money left on his current deal, which is set to expire after the 2025 season.
If the Falcons were to cut Jarrett prior to June 1, they would save $16.25 million. That is a big chunk of change. But it's Jarrett we're talking about. Would the Falcons really move on from him after 10 years with the organization? Fontenot was asked that very question last week.
"Ultimately, we always have to do what's right for the Atlanta Falcons and make the best decisions that are going to help us win football games," Fontenot said. "But with any player, we're going to look at what they're doing on the field, we're going to look at how they fit into the locker room. We'll look at all those areas."
When the topic was mentioned to head coach Raheem Morris, he said no one embodied what it means to be a Falcon more than Jarrett.
"Everything is not always just the business decision," Morris continued. "There's always going to be other factors into it. Obviously, business comes first. Obviously, it's always about the players, about our ethos, about our team, but you got to do what's best for the Falcons at all times."
Jarrett's on-field accomplishments as well as his standing as a team captain and community leader make him an important player in more ways than one.
"You can't really put a value on what that guy is," Morris said. "Those are kind of players that you talk about, that are guys that we play with. Those are guys that we want to mold. Those are guys that we want to shape people to be like."
It should be noted, the salary cap can always be manipulated. There are always options to push money down the line. Plus, as mentioned at the start, the cap continues to rise. If the Falcons were to extend Jarrett, even a year or two, it could open things up now. At 32 years old, Jarrett is one of the most experienced and respected defensive tackles in the game. So, how far would the Falcons be willing to push that experience and respect? How far would Jarrett?
Ultimately, though, the Falcons have to find money somewhere. And this is an option, regardless of which way you look at it. And it's not like the Falcons have very many other avenues for cap savings. If starting right tackle Kaleb McGary is released prior to June 1, the Falcons would save $14.5 million towards the cap. If fellow defensive tackle David Onyemata is released before June 1, the cap savings for Atlanta would be right above $8 million. That's pretty much it, though, and without someone on the current roster to take over for McGary, releasing him doesn't make a whole lot of sense. The Falcons are not likely able to afford a starting-caliber offensive tackle on the open market. They could — in theory — use a high draft pick on one in the draft, but that feels like a toss up for this year, too, especially when there are more pressing needs elsewhere. So, when it comes to players on the current roster, that's kind of... it... in this scenario of cap casualties, at least.
Taking care of their own
Something Fontenot and this front office has valued is keeping key players in house. Before each of the last two seasons, they signed former first-round picks Chris Lindstrom and A.J. Terrell to long-term extensions. And though the jury is out on Kyle Pitts' future beyond his fifth-year option, a member of that draft class the Falcons could consider bringing back is starting center Drew Dalman.
The Falcons selected Dalman in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He has started 40 games at center after officially taking over as the starter in his second season. Because of an ankle injury early in the season, Dalman only saw action in nine games for Atlanta last year (Ryan Neuzil held the spot down in his absence). This won't likely minimize Dalman's value, however, as there are a few teams coveting an experienced center this offseason — the Texans and Bears to name a couple. The market for Dalman could be pretty lucrative. Is it out of the Falcons' price range? Can they strike a deal to keep their offensive line together for the third year in a row? That is one of the biggest questions the team will face this free agency period. In fact, it's one of the only questions facing the offensive unit, entirely, in 2025. But it's one with potential ripples. If they can't bring Dalman back, where does that leave their free agency plan? What about a draft plan, at that?
Though offensive line isn't the sexiest position to talk about in free agency, it may be the first important domino to fall — or not fall — for the Falcons in 2025.
