Former Washington Huskies cornerback Kevin King has had a rollercoaster of a preseason with the Atlanta Falcons. King hasn’t seen action in an NFL game since 2021 after taking off the 2022 season for personal reasons and then suffering a torn Achilles tendon in an offseason workout before the start of training camp in 2023.
Former #Packers CB Kevin King, who last played in a regular-season NFL game in 2021, was elevated to the #Falcons‘ active roster for Sunday’s opener vs. Pittsburgh.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 7, 2024
The Atlanta Falcons signed the former No. 33 overall pick last April to a one year, $1.25 million contract. That contract became void when the Falcons surprisingly released King after having a stellar preseason. However, general manager Terry Fontenot immediately signed him back to the practice squad the same day.
This move appears to be what is known as a “veteran handshake deal” with both parties agreeing to release the player, only to sign them back to the practice squad to make room for rookies to be protected on the 53 man roster and not leaving them vulnerable to being claimed by another team on waivers. Since King is a multi-year veteran, he doesn’t have to go through the waiver process.
The Falcons will be able to elevate King a total of three times before having to officially sign him to the roster.