FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons announced Monday their team captains for the 2023 season.
Defensive lineman Grady Jarrett, defensive back Jessie Bates III, kicker Younghoe Koo and offensive linemen Jake Matthews and Chris Lindstrom were named permanent captains and will sport the captain logo for all 17 games, starting with Sunday's regular-season opener against the Carolina Panthers in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium (1 p.m., FOX).
Jarrett, Koo and Matthews are returning captains from 2022. Bates and Lindstrom are new this year.
Jarrett enters his ninth season in Atlanta since getting drafted by the Falcons in 2015 with a fifth-round pick from Clemson. The two-time Pro Bowler led the Falcons in 2022 with six sacks in addition to his 61 tackles, 17 quarterback hits and three pass breakups.
Bates is in his first year with the Falcons, having spent the past five seasons of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals before signing with Atlanta back in March. He's a former second-round draft pick from Wake Forest in 2018.
Koo has spent the last four season with the Falcons, previously only spending one with the Los Angeles Chargers as a rookie in 2017. The former Pro Bowler made 32 of his 37 field-goal attempts last season, with a long kick of 54 yards to tie his career best. Koo also found success on 33 of his 35 point-after attempts in 2022.
Matthews was drafted by the Falcons in the first round of the 2014 event out of Texas A&M and has remained with the team ever since at left tackle. He has earned Pro Bowl honors once so far.
Lindstrom has also been with the Falcons since he was their first-round draft pick in 2019 from Boston College. The right guard made the Pro Bowl last year.
