The Falcons reached an agreement to retain safety Kemal Ishmael on a one-year deal, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter). A part-time starter during his first four seasons in Atlanta, Ishmael agreed to a $2.5MM contract.
Atlanta wanted to retain its former seventh-round find prior to free agency and will do so four days into the process. Ishmael started four games for the NFC champions last season and has opened with the Falcons’ first unit in 19 games during his tenure in Georgia.
Ishmael arrived in 2013’s final draft round out of Central Florida and won’t turn 25 until May. He played 310 snaps for the 2016 Falcons and figures to slot in as a depth piece behind Ricardo Allen and Keanu Neal in 2017. Ishmael’s most notable season came in 2014, when he started 10 games for Atlanta and made 96 tackles. He notched four of his five career interceptions that season.
The NFC’s No. 2-seeded team did not have Ishmael for its three playoff games, however, after a shoulder injury sent the 24-year-old defender to IR.