The Atlanta Falcons are moving full steam ahead with the Michael Penix Jr. era. After benching Kirk Cousins at the end of the 2024 season, it was clear the franchise was ready for a change.
However, one release today on the defensive side of the ball had fans shocked.
Breaking: Falcons Shockingly Release Full Time Starter (Report)
Grady Jarrett, a franchise player over the past decade, is being released by the Atlanta Falcons:
The Falcons released the two-time Pro Bowler on Monday in a cost-saving move, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Jarrett’s cap number for 2025 was $20,375,000, and the Falcons save $12,125,000 by releasing him, according to Roster Management System. There was thought to be a possibility of restructuring and extending Jarrett, but Atlanta ended up cutting him outright.
The Falcons attempted to get a new deal done with Jarrett to keep him in Atlanta, per a league source. But ultimately, things ended in a release.
The Falcons came into the offseason over the cap, and an extension agreed to with left tackle Jake Matthews and the shedding of Jarrett’s salary will get them under, giving them the ability to be more aggressive over the next few days and beyond. Atlanta has plenty of holes to fill on defense this offseason.
Here is a look at Jarrett’s career stats:
| Def Interceptions | Fumbles | Tackles | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Age | Team | Lg | Pos | G | GS | Int | Yds | IntTD | Lng | PD | FF | Fmb | FR | Yds | FRTD | Sk | Comb | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits | Sfty | AV | Awards |
| 2015 | 22 | ATL | NFL | DT | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 24 | 13 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| 2016 | 23 | ATL | NFL | RDE | 16 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 | 48 | 21 | 27 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 6 | |
| 2017 | 24 | ATL | NFL | RDT | 16 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 | 55 | 34 | 21 | 15 | 13 | 0 | 7 | |
| 2018 | 25 | ATL | NFL | RDT | 14 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 | 52 | 27 | 25 | 8 | 16 | 0 | 5 | |
| 2019 | 26 | ATL | NFL | LDT | 16 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.5 | 69 | 38 | 31 | 12 | 16 | 0 | 13 | PB,AP-2 |
| 2020 | 27 | ATL | NFL | LDT | 16 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 | 52 | 27 | 25 | 8 | 21 | 0 | 10 | PB |
| 2021 | 28 | ATL | NFL | LDE | 17 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 59 | 38 | 21 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 6 | |
| 2022 | 29 | ATL | NFL | RDT | 17 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 | 61 | 30 | 31 | 12 | 17 | 0 | 7 | |
| 2023 | 30 | ATL | NFL | DL | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 | 23 | 9 | 14 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 4 | |
| 2024 | 31 | ATL | NFL | DL | 17 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 | 53 | 30 | 23 | 9 | 12 | 0 | 7 | |
| 10 Yrs | 152 | 137 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 36.5 | 496 | 267 | 229 | 77 | 126 | 0 | 67 | |||||
| 17 Game Avg | 17 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.1 | 55 | 30 | 26 | 9 | 14 | 0 | 7 | |||||
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