The Falcons have been among the most active teams at the start of free agency. They traded for tight end Jonnu Smith, signed a couple of their own in Bradley Pinion and Keith Smith, and also brought in some help for Grady Jarrett, inking David Onyemata to a three-year deal. However, their biggest splash was signing All-Pro guard Chris Lindstrom to a five-year, $105 million extension, making him the highest paid player at his position. It’s a deal that will pay him $21 million on average per season, but it will save the Falcons money when it comes to 2023 because of the way it is structured.
According to Over The Cap, the move gives the Falcons nearly $10 million more to spend this offseason.
Further, OverTheCap has extending Lindstrom creating $9.697 million in cap space for this offseason.
— Daniel Flick (@DFlickDraft) March 13, 2023
The entire details of the contract have not been announced, but as of now, it looks like the Falcons will have even more to spend on free agents this offseason, which means more excitement should be on the way over the next few days.
Kaleb McGary remains a candidate to be re-signed. The Falcons would reportedly like to have him back but are letting him test his market in free agency. Of course, all three levels of the defense could still use bolstering, and Atlanta might also have their eyes on a #2 wide receiver in free agency. The interior of the offensive line outside of Chris Lindstrom could also be improved as well.
Coming into the offseason, the Falcons needed help everywhere. They’ve plugged some holes early on in free agency, but they’ll need to do a lot more if they want to compete for the NFC South in 2023. The Saints added Derek Carr, and the Panthers have traded up for the #1 overall pick. The division should be improved in 2023, but the Falcons have a chance to make some noise with some more quality free agent signings and a solid draft.
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Photographer: John Byrum/Icon Sportswire
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