With the NFL league year set to start Wednesday, the Falcons re-signed their Pro Bowl kicker while bracing to say goodbye to the league’s top tackler and a starting wide receiver.
In addition to signing kicker Younghoe Koo to a five-year, $24.25 million contract, the Falcons put a $2.4 million right-of-first-refusal tender on backup wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus and cut defensive tackle Tyeler Davison.
The Falcons also received a compensatory pick in this year’s draft, adding another opportunity to supplement their roster. They were given a sixth-round pick, slotting at No. 213 overall.
Koo’s contract averages $4.85 million per year and has $11.5 million guaranteed.
Koo, who played at Georgia Southern, was selected to the Pro Bowl after the 2020 season. He has made 87 of 94 field-goal attempts (92.6%) since he signed with the Falcons in Week 10 of the 2019 season.
Koo has been clutch with games on the line, as he’s made 20 of 23 field-goal attempts in the fourth quarter and overtime in 30 games with the Falcons. He helped the Falcons reach a 7-10 record last season with three game-winning kicks.
Last season, he made 27 of 29 field-goal attempts (93.1%) and all 30 extra-point attempts. Koo made game-winning kicks against the Giants, Dolphins and Saints.
During Koo’s Pro Bowl season, he set the single-season franchise record for made field goals (37) and tied the record for most made field goals of at least 50 yards (8).
Pro Bowl long snapper Josh Harris, punter Thomas Morstead and kickoff returner Cordarrelle Patterson are among the Falcons set to become unrestricted free agents.
Morstead was signed at midseason to help stabilize the punting situation.
Linebacker Foye Oluokun, who led the NFL in tackles last season, is set to leave the Falcons after agreeing to a multiyear contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to NFL Media.
Oluokun, a sixth-round pick from Yale in 2018, had a league-best 192 tackles and added two interceptions in 2021, including a game-saving pick in the victory over Detroit. Oluokun played last season on the final year of his rookie contract (four years, $2.6 million). The reported deal with the Jaguars is three years, $45 million, with $28 million guaranteed.
At the end of the season, Oluokun was not sure if he wanted to test free agency, which starts Wednesday.
“Really, that’s up to my agent,” Oluokun said in January. “I remember earlier in the season, he said if I don’t get restructured in that (exhibition) season – I’m not just going to take an offer. Just listen and everything, but if the Falcons and I can work it out, that’d be nice.”
Wide receiver Russell Gage is set to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency, according to his agent Todd France.
Gage, after being slowed by an ankle sprain, emerged down the stretch for the Falcons last season. He caught 66 of 94 targets for 770 yards and four touchdowns. He made a spectacular touchdown catch against the 49ers on Dec. 19.
“Overall, I think I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished throughout the season,” Gage said at the end of the season. “There were ups and downs, personal goals that I reached, and some I didn’t reach. Overall, I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished. I wouldn’t say I’m satisfied, but I’m proud of what I accomplished. I can’t wait for this offseason to build and get ready for the next season.”
Gage was selected in the sixth round of the 2018 draft from LSU. He’s caught 193 passes through four seasons for 2,065 yards and nine touchdowns.
Gage played out a four-year, $2.6 million contract that averaged $654,049 annually.
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan wanted Gage to return.
“I love Russ as a teammate,” Ryan said at the end of last season. “I love how much he’s grown as a player during his time here. Also, I understand the nature of this league. It’s hard to predict how things are going to go.”
The Falcons went under the $208.2 million salary cap when wide receiver Calvin Ridley was suspended indefinitely for gambling on NFL games. The Falcons are $4,170,606 under the salary cap, according to NFLPA documents Tuesday. Including the $12 million created by Ryan’s latest restructure, approximately $7.5 million from Jake Matthews’ restructure and $3.7 million from Davison’s release, the Falcons can be $27.2 million under the cap.
Davison’s release also came with a $1.2 million dead cap hit.
Apparently, Ryan and Matthews’ moves have not been filed with the NFLPA yet.
Patterson didn’t receive the kind of offers he wanted at the outset of free agency last offseason. About a month into free agency, he signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Falcons. Patterson, who will turn 31 on Thursday, is looking for a hefty raise.
The other free agents set to hit the open market are guard Josh Andrews, linebacker Daren Bates, wide receiver Christian Blake, defensive tackle Jonathan Bullard, linebacker Brandon Copeland, guard Colby Gossett, tight end Jaeden Graham, safety Duron Harmon, free safety Erik Harris, quarterback A.J. McCarron, defensive end Steven Means, cornerback Fabian Moreau, cornerback Isaiah Oliver, quarterback Josh Rosen, wide receiver Tajae Sharpe and offensive tackle Jason Spriggs.
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