FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons signed cornerback Kevin King, the team announced Monday. This transaction marks King's return to the NFL after two consecutive years away.
King comes to Atlanta with five active seasons on his professional resume from 2017-21. The Green Bay Packers originally drafted King out of Washington with a second-round pick. After four years on a rookie contract, King and the Packers agreed to terms on a one-year deal in 2021.
In 2022, King chose to sit out the season for personal reasons. He then missed 2023 due to a torn Achilles tendon sustained during an offseason workout, trying to get into shape for a training camp. King himself explained all that happened in a 21-minute YouTube video shared on May 5, 2023.
Through those five seasons with the Packers, though, King appeared in 51 of a possible 81 regular-season games, starting 42. He made 197 total tackles, with a sack, three quarterback hits and five tackles for loss. He also forced two fumbles, recovered another two fumbles, intercepted seven passes and broke up 30.
King’s peak season so far came in 2019, when he started 14 of the 15 games in which he played. He finished with 66 total tackles, 15 pass breakups, five interceptions, a sack and a forced fumble.
King's transition back into the NFL comes with a few familiar faces in Atlanta on the coaching side. Falcons defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake was Washington's secondary coach for the later three years of King's collegiate career. Falcons secondary coach Justin Hood was the Packers defensive quality control coach from 2021-23, overlapping with King during his last season in Green Bay. Falcons assistant head coach/defense Jerry Gray was also King's position coach in 2020 before being promoted to defensive backs/passing game coordinator in King's final year with the Packers in 2021.
