The Falcons are just around $4 million over budget, but that doesn’t mean they can’t free up more salary room for more important summer acquisitions.
If Atlanta required significant cap space to get a star, they could. Restructuring the contracts of Jake Matthews, Chris Lindstrom, Grady Jarrett, and Jessie Bates, while parting ways with Lorenzo Carter and Mike Hughes, would provide the Falcons with an additional $40+ million in cap room.
That does not even consider the cap space created by a hypothetical A.J. Terrell contract extension. The point is, no player is off bounds to Atlanta. There are a few famous free agents available, but Haason Reddick is the talk of the town on social media.
At the start of the offseason, Ian Rapoport reported that the Eagles had given their top pass rusher permission to seek a trade. Though Reddick quickly responded by refuting Rapoport’s allegation, the source doubled down a few weeks later.
If he’s available, the Falcons should definitely consider a blockbuster deal and contract extension. Over the last two seasons, Reddick has been named to the All-Pro team and played in two Pro Bowls. He has not had fewer than 11 sacks since 2019. If that kind of production is available for trade, the Falcons should be willing to part with his draft compensation and give him an extension.
Reddick may be older, entering 30 next season, but he is certainly not slowing down. He is also entering the final year of his contract, with a basic salary of more than $14 million, so a trade would require a new contract.
Going from a $15 million AAV to potentially north of $20 million per year (assuming) is a significant increase for Reddick, but when you consistently produce 10+ sack seasons, that’s the going pay. Here are some of the names he will be compared to.
Nick Bosa: $34 million (AAV).
Brian Burns: $28.2 million.
T.J. Watt: $28 million.
Myles Garrett: $25 million.
Danielle Hunter: $24.5 million.
Montez Sweat: $24.5 Million.
Josh Allen: $24 million.
Rashan Gary: $24 Million.
Maxx Crosby: $23.5 million.
The Falcons have a need, and Reddick wants to get paid. With contract extensions approaching for several key Eagles players, Howie Roseman may find Reddick’s potential contract too much.
The Falcons, on the other hand, are in a position to spend since Kirk Cousins’ window will not remain open forever. In fact, the veteran has a two-year runway, and if Atlanta is serious about competing, they must address this position. A Haason Reddick trade makes much too much sense for Raheem Morris, Terry Fontenot, and Arthur Blank.
In the most recent episode of SportsTalkATL (below), we discuss the need for a pass rusher and Haason Reddick as an ideal candidate.
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