FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons signed wide receiver Darnell Mooney, the team announced Friday.
Mooney was one of the predicted free agency moves the Falcons made official this week when the new league year began at 4 p.m. ET Wednesday. Mooney’s signing was first reported Tuesday.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Falcons and Mooney agreed to a three-year, $39 million deal that includes $26 million fully guaranteed.
Mooney was originally a fifth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears, with whom he stayed all four years of his rookie contract.
Last season, Mooney caught 31 of his 61 targets for 414 receiving yards and a touchdown. He totaled the third-most yard receiving on the Bears, trailing wide receiver D.J. Moore (1,364) and tight end Cole Kmet (719).
Mooney's best season – so far – came in 2021 when he caught 81 of his 140 targets for 1,055 yards and four touchdowns. Then, he was the Bears' leading receiver.
The 26-year-old receiver joins a position room that currently includes Drake London, KhaDarel Hodge and Rondale Moore. The Falcons brought Hodge back from the 2023 squad, signing him to a one-year deal on Thursday. Moore joins the Falcons via a trade of quarterback Desmond Ridder to the Arizona Cardinals, pending physicals. The trade was agreed upon Thursday, too.
The Falcons could still bring in even more wide receivers, whether that be through the draft or free agency, especially now that their 2024 quarterback is decided with Kirk Cousins.
