Poised to be one of the top free agent offensive linemen available, Drew Dalman expressed interest in staying with the Falcons. The team will now take a look at what it will take to make that happen.
The Falcons will meet with their starting center’s camp at the Combine, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s D. Orlando Ledbetter notes. Terry Fontenot stopped short of calling Dalman a player the franchise wants to keep, but the upcoming conversations point to the organization at least determining a price point.
Dalman, 26, replaced Matt Hennessy at center and started for most of the past three seasons. An ankle injury tripped up the former fourth-round pick last year, but Pro Football Focus has graded him as a top-five pivot in each of the past two years. After Lloyd Cushenberry parlayed a good contract year in Denver into $26MM guaranteed at signing — then the second-most among centers — Dalman will probably be angling for a similar number, especially after the news of the salary cap’s latest $20MM-plus spike.
The Falcons, however, have three veteran contracts along their O-line already, rostering Jake Matthews, Chris Lindstrom and Kaleb McGary. Atlanta’s right tackle is, however, in a contract year. The Falcons have until 11am CT on March 10 to conduct exclusive negotiations with Dalman and their other UFAs-to-be.
One of their other unsigned starters, Matt Judon is set to hit the market for the second time. The Falcons have not contacted Judon’s camp about a re-signing yet, Ledbetter adds. That could take place in Indianapolis, but Judon did not reprise his pre-injury form after being acquired for a third-round pick last summer. Despite pursuing better Patriots terms in 2024, Judon did not seek a Falcons extension upon arrival.
The former Division II success story, after suffering a season-ending biceps tear in 2023, posted 5.5 sacks and nine QB hits. Both totals pale in comparison to his peak Patriots and Ravens work, not providing much momentum for a free agency payday. Judon’s age (33 in August) will not help his cause, either. But he should at least attract interest from teams considering a midlevel contract to help their edge-rushing units.
The other veteran added on defense shortly before the season, Justin Simmons is expected to reach the market, according Channel 2 Action News’ Zach Klein. Simmons started 16 games for the Falcons last season, intercepting two passes. Like Judon, however, the four-time All-Pro did not deliver on the level he had with his previous team. The former Broncos defensive centerpiece played out a one-year, $7.5MM deal. At 31, Simmons may need to settle for another short-term pact after waiting for a notable deal to materialize for months last year. The nine-year veteran wants to stay in Atlanta, however.
Simmons and Grady Jarrett share an agent, Todd France, who informed Klein he will likely speak with the Falcons about the status of the veteran defensive lineman. “Grady is an Atlanta Falcon right now, so we’ll see where that goes,” France said. Fontenot (via Ledbetter) did not call Jarrett an untouchable player in trades.
GMs rarely make anyone truly untouchable, though votes of confidence about players’ futures with teams often come out of the Combine. The longest-tenured Falcon defender, Jarrett has played nine seasons with the team. The interior D-lineman is on contract No. 3 with Atlanta, having signed a three-year, $49.5MM deal in 2022. Jarrett’s pact runs through the 2025 season; none of his $15.25MM base salary is guaranteed.
Jarrett, 32 in April, has resided as Atlanta’s top D-lineman for most of his career. He returned from an October 2023 ACL tear last season, notching just 2.5 sacks and finishing with 12 QB hits. The latter total tied for sixth in Jarrett’s career. He would still seemingly garner trade interest, but with a team likely needing to work out a new deal that goes beyond 2025, expecting a major return might be overly optimistic.
As the Falcons attempt to end a seven-year playoff drought, Jarrett’s status will be one of the questions Fontenot’s staff will need to answer in the coming weeks.
Trade Pitts and Jarrett.