Tag: Dante Fowler Jr

4 Falcons players make Forbes’ top 100 highest-paid athletes

Four Falcons players made the Forbes top 100 highest-paid athletes list.

The tone of the Atlanta Falcons’ 2020 offseason has been different than in previous years under general manager Thomas Dimitroff.

Limited cap space has forced the team’s hand in cutting veterans Devonta Freeman and Desmond Trufant, while letting free agents De’Vondre Campbell, Austin Hooper and Vic Beasley sign elsewhere.

That’s simply the price this organization must pay for paying its top players, though. It’s hard to blame Dimitroff for extending Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Grady Jarrett.

As pointed out by Touchdown Wire, 31 NFL players made Forbes’ top 100 highest-paid athletes of 2020, including four Falcons. Ryan, Jones, Jarrett and free agent Dante Fowler Jr. are each set to earn big money in 2020. Let’s look at what TD Wire’s Barry Werner had to say about Atlanta’s highest rollers.

On Fowler. (No. 81):

Dante Fowler signed a three-year, $48 million contract as a free agent with the Atlanta Falcons in March 2020. This marks his third NFL team as he has been with the Jaguars and Rams. His earnings in 2020 will be $24.2M.

On Ryan (No. 47):

Longtime Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan is riding a long-term contract that will see him earn $24M in salary this year. Add in another $5.5M in endorsements and Ryan is at $29.5M.

On Jarrett (No. 37):

Atlanta’s Grady Jarrett plays every play ferociously and the Falcons love having him in their nest. The defensive lineman weighs in at $33.1M, with almost all of it coming from his NFL contract.

On Julio Jones (No. 26):

Atlanta’s star wideout Julio Jones was a great catch, and the Falcons are paying him as such. Jones will carry $37.5M from the team and another $3M in endorsements, putting him at $40.5M.

It’s tough to remain competitive with so many many big contracts, but the Falcons have the talent to make a run this year if they can avoid another slow start.

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Dan Quinn expects Charles Harris to be a part of DE rotation

The Atlanta Falcons swapped out Vic Beasley for Dante Fowler Jr. in free agency, and traded for Dolphins defensive end Charles Harris to add depth.

The Atlanta Falcons swapped out Vic Beasley for Dante Fowler Jr. in free agency, and traded for Dolphins defensive end Charles Harris to add depth.

Meanwhile, Takkarist McKinley will be starting at the Falcons’ other defensive end spot, but is on shaky ground. The team declined his fifth-year option a few weeks ago, leaving his future beyond 2020 up in the air.

By acquiring Harris, whose fifth-year option was also declined, the Falcons should have two motivated, talented pass-rushers fighting for a contract in 2021.

Talking with local media on Tuesday morning, head coach Dan Quinn said he expects Harris to be a part of the rotation. Watch the video below, as shared D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

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Falcons DE Dante Fowler talks free agency, expectations for 2020

The Atlanta Falcons desperately needed to make a splash this offseason and after cutting two of last season’s starters to create cap space, the team signed defensive end Dante Fowler.

The Atlanta Falcons desperately needed to make a splash this offseason and after cutting two of last season’s starters to create cap space, the team signed defensive end Dante Fowler to a three-year, $48 million contract.

Fowler, the former No. 3 pick of the 2015 draft, is coming off of the best season of his career. He racked up 11.5 sacks and 58 tackles (40 solo) for the Los Angeles Rams in 2019.

At just 25 years old, Fowler is only entering his physical prime and could be the kind of impact player that Atlanta needs to get back to the playoffs in 2020. Falcons reporter Kelsey Conway caught up with Fowler to discuss the free agency process and his expectations for upcoming season.

Watch the full interview below, as shared by the team’s Twitter account:

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NFC South ranked as NFL’s second-toughest division

With Carolina resorting to Chip Kelly levels of self-sabotage and moving on from former MVP Cam Newton, it appeared that Atlanta would get a break in 2020.

The Atlanta Falcons have struggled since their Super Bowl appearance in 2016, but that will happen when you play in one of the NFL’s most consistently competitive divisions. The Falcons, Panthers and Saints have each been to the Super Bowl in recent memory — with three potential Hall of Fame quarterbacks battling it out over the past ten years.

With Carolina resorting to Chip Kelly levels of self-sabotage and moving on from former MVP Cam Newton, it appeared Atlanta would finally get a break in 2020 as the division came back down to earth.

The Buccaneers weren’t having it, though, as head coach Bruce Arians landed Tom Brady in free agency to replace interception-prone Jameis Winston. And just like that, the NFC South has another possible contender to go along with the Saints and Falcons.

In Touchdown Wire’s division rankings after the first wave of free agency, the new-look NFC South landed second on Michael Colangelo’s list. Check out some of what he had to say in the excerpt below:

The argument for the NFC South being the top division in the NFL is a strong one. They are neck and neck with the NFC West. The Saints will be back. They kept Drew Brees and added Emmanuel Sanders to their receiving corps. They had a strong running back duo in Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray. The Saints even added some defensive help with Malcolm Jenkins.

We don’t need to rehash how the Bucs have improved. They already had the fifth-best defensive according to DVOA rankings and they are bringing mostly everyone back on the unity. They went from turnover machine Jameis Winston to Tom Brady who would rather chuck the ball into the ground than see it in a defender’s hands. The Bucs move from +3300 to win the Super Bowl to +1600.

The Falcons are trotting out an offense with a ton of first-round picks. They still need to figure out if Todd Gurley will be useful or not, but if he’s at 80-percent he is still an additional threat to an offense that has a ton of weapons. They could be a sneaky pick to make the playoffs.

Let’s not forget the NFL draft could change things, but with Brady, Brees and Ryan in place, the NFC South is going to be one of the most interesting divisions 2020.

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Dante Fowler is already recruiting Todd Gurley to the Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons signed free-agent defensive end Dante Fowler on Wednesday and he’s already endearing himself to the fans.

The Atlanta Falcons signed free-agent defensive end Dante Fowler on Wednesday and he’s already endearing himself to the fans.

After the news broke that Rams running back, and Fowler’s former teammate, Todd Gurley had been released, the Falcons’ new pass-rusher quickly attempted to recruit him to Atlanta on Twitter:

Fowler is clearly plugged into the the Falcons’ recent moves as the team released starting running back Devonta Freeman earlier this week. Adding Gurley on an affordable contract would certainly improve Atlanta’s rushing attack. Otherwise, the team may look to add one in the upcoming NFL draft.

It remains to be seen where Gurley will end up, but as Fowler indicated, it was at least worth a shot:

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