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 Atlanta Falcons have reportedly added an edge rusher to their free agency class as the new league year looms Wednesday, March 12. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday afternoon that edge rusher Leonard Floyd was signing a one-year deal with the Falcons worth $10 million.
Floyd was released by the San Francisco 49ers earlier in the day. He finished his lone season with the 49ers with 8.5 sacks, 42 combined tackles and 16 quarterback hits through 17 starts. At 32 years old, Floyd actually has a few connections that he has garnered with the Falcons organization over the years.
For starters, he was drafted by current Falcons vice president of football operations Ryan Pace when he was the general manager of the Chicago Bears from 2015-21, selecting Floyd with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. After four seasons with average production, the Bears extended Floyd's fifth-year option to him. At the time, Pace was quoted, saying that even if the stats weren't there, "Leonard does a lot of things that go a little undervalued."
"The versatility he provides, things he can do in coverage," Pace said in 2020. "Not a lot of outside linebackers that can provide the versatility he provides."
Fast forward just a year later and Floyd's production was on the cusp of an uptick. After playing out his fifth-year option, Floyd hit the open market for the first time, signing with the Los Angeles Rams. It was there where his production went up exponentially. After four years with the Rams, Floyd had racked up 39.5 total sacks and 78 quarterback hits, while playing for someone he is set to reunite with.
That's right: Current Falcons head coach Raheem Morris was Floyd's defensive coordinator during his peak years in Los Angeles.
"Leonard is a special player, man. You get around him more and more every day, he comes off as a quiet person — he is not," Morris said in 2021. "He is to himself, but when he's to himself, he's about his business."
Floyd now reunites with both the former general manager who drafted him and the former defensive coordinator whose scheme helped unlock him. Makes sense why he landed in Atlanta.
Oh, and one more thing? He was born in Atlanta, went to Dodge County High School in Eastman, Georgia, and then took his talents to the University of Georgia. So, he's yet another Georgia boy set to return home.
