
Through his first 11 games in Las Vegas, Jones mustered 0.5 sacks. However, his debut season with the Raiders had ups and downs. Considering he was coached by Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham when he was the defensive line coach of the New England Patriots from 2012 to 2013, Jones was a logical fit with the team.
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The former Arizona Cardinals Pro Bowler was 32 at the time but was coming off a season where he had 10.5 sacks. He was a place-holder, and the Falcons added $12 million in salary-cap space when he was released in February.The Las Vegas Raiders decided to go on a spending spree last offseason when they signed defensive end Chandler Jones to a three-year contract worth $51 million. There was one final move, and that was to get rid of Mariota’s contract after he arguably quit on the team after being benched.
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They would have the second most money to spend for 2023 free agents, trailing only the Chicago Bears. Now, with the deck cleared of most of the old regime’s contracts, the Falcons were about to see some daylight. The Falcons restructured Deion Jones’ contract and traded him to Cleveland last season. The Falcons attempted to sign former Gainesville High and Clemson star Watson in free agency after the 2021 season.Ĭleveland won the derby for Watson, who was mired in a widespread sexual misconduct and harassment situation that led to a league suspension.Īfter the Falcons’ flirtation with Watson, Ryan wanted out, and the team accommodated him with a trade to the Colts for a third-round pick.Īfter moving on from Ryan, the Falcons signed Marcus Mariota and drafted Desmond Ridder in the third round (74th overall) of the 2022 draft out of Cincinnati. He was released in February 2022, and the Falcons were left with $4.6 million in dead salary-cap space. He could have earned $4 million more if he reached 11 sacks. Fowler’s contract was renegotiated March 17, 2021, which lowered his salary-cap number from $18.5 million to $10.6 million for 2021, with $6 million base salary guaranteed, according to NFLPA documents. The new regime tried to salvage a bad deal the Falcons signed with outside linebacker Dante Fowler and had him take a pay cut in 2021.įowler signed to a three-year, $45 million deal in 2020, with $29 million guaranteed. He has not been signed for this season, and if he retires, his five-year clock for enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame will start. He played 10 games for the Bucs and caught 24 passes last season.


Jones played 10 games for the Titans and caught 31 passes in 2021. The Titans took on all of the Jones’ contract (with cap numbers of $15.3 million in 2021 and $19.263 million in ‘22 and 23) without any contribution from the Falcons. The space gave them space to sign their first rookie class. Jones was traded to Tennessee in 2021 for a second-round pick, a fourth-round pick and a sixth-round pick, but what the Falcons really received was some initial salary-cap space.īy trading Jones after June 1 that year, the Falcons were allowed to split his dead-cap charge over two seasons and created $15.3 million in salary-cap space. The new regime didn’t need a disgruntled Jones around to thwart their rebuilding plans from the start. He held out and had his deal redone twice. Julio Jones, perhaps miffed by Ryan’s five-year, $150 million extension, kept complaining about his contract. Here’s a look at the key moves that accelerated the descent into salary-cap hell and then returned the Falcons to financial viability: “It allows you to have a lot more flexibility,” Smith said about finally have some salary-cap space. Overall, I think it’s definitely a weight off my shoulders just to be able to play ball and focus on the team.”Īfter two seasons of getting by with a lot of players on one-year contracts, the Falcons finally could add some talent. Mentally, you try to think about what you want as far as a deal and stuff like that.

“It’s part of it,” Bates told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution about playing on the franchise tag his last season with the Bengals. Safety Jessie Bates III was the main benefactor in the form of a four-year, $64.02 million deal. With the books finally cleared, the Falcons spent over $130 million to revamp their defense in the recent offseason.
