Former NFL receiver Paul Flatley, the UPI’s NFL offensive rookie of the year in 1963, has died. He was 84.
A fourth-round pick of the Vikings (he was also drafted by the AFL’s Broncos), Flatley spent five seasons with the Vikings and three with the Falcons.
In 106 games with 96 starts, Flatley caught 305 passes for 4,905 yards and 24 touchdowns. He made it to the Pro Bowl in 1966.
His 51 catches were a rookie record for the Vikings until Randy Moss shattered it in 1998. (In 1976, Sammy White tied the record. All three players were named offensive rookie of the year.
Flatley was traded to the Falcons in 1968, when Norm Van Brocklin (Flatley’s coach in Minnesota) was hired by Atlanta.
We extend our condolences to Flatley’s family, friends, teammates, and colleagues.
Executives across the NFL can’t always be right.
In December, the reported belief throughout the league was that the Falcons would release quarterback Kirk Cousins before a $10 million roster bonus due in 2026 shifted from guaranteed for injury to fully guaranteed.
ESPN, which reported nearly three months ago that Cousins was expected to be released before the fifth day of the 2025 league year, now reports that the Falcons will allow today’s 4:00 p.m. ET deadline for cutting Cousins to pass.
There had been a misconception in some circles that the Falcons would immediately owe Cousins $10 million. That’s not the case. They owe it next year. And, if they cut him before it comes due in March 2026, they’d be entitled to offsets. And there’s no reason to think he’d make less than $10 million as a free agent. Which meant the Falcons weren’t worried about it.
In other words, the supposedly very meaningful guarantee ultimately meant jack squat. They paid him $62.5 million last year. They owe him $27.5 million this year. They’re not sweating the final $10 million of his $100 million in guarantees.
They can still trade him, if he’ll waive his no-trade clause. And while it was smart for him to take the position that he wouldn’t waive it, if he prefers to make $27.5 million this year and play (as opposed to making $27.5 million this year and not playing), he’ll possibly if not probably waive it if/when an opportunity comes along to be traded to a team where he’ll be the starter.
At this point, Cousins should wait until after the draft. If he’s traded to a team with a hole at QB1 (Steelers, Browns, Giants) before the incoming quarterbacks are selected, he could have the same thing happen with his new team that happened to him in Atlanta last April.
The Eagles have signed returner Avery Williams to a one-year deal, his agency, Aura Sports Group, announced.
Williams, 26, played all 17 games for the Falcons last season, seeing action on 10 offensive snaps and 364 on special teams. He returned 20 punts for a 9.3-yard average and 15 kickoffs for a 27.2-yard average and made six tackles.
The Falcons drafted Williams in the fifth round in 2021, and he spent his first four seasons in Atlanta. He began his career as a cornerback before switching to running back his second season.
In his career, he has averaged 10.9 yards on 58 punts returns and 22.4 yards on 54 kickoff returns and has made 31 tackles.
Kenneth Gainwell and Isaiah Rodgers, who had 26 of the team’s 33 kickoff returns last season, left in free agency. Cooper DeJean returned 21 of the team’s 28 punts last season as a rookie but likely will focus on his duties as the nickel corner in 2025.
The Falcons have brought in a veteran defender.
Atlanta has agreed to a two-year deal with edge rusher Morgan Fox, according to a report from NFL Media.
Fox, 30, spent the last three seasons with the Chargers as a rotational defender. Last season, Fox tallied 3.5 sacks with four tackles for loss and six QB hits in 17 games.
He was on the field for 53 percent of defensive snaps in 2024 and 17 percent of special teams snaps.
Fox has not missed a game since returning from a torn ACL suffered during the 2018 offseason program. After beginning his career with the Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2016, he signed with the Panthers in 2021 before heading back to Los Angeles with the Chargers in 2022.
In 120 career games, Fox has recorded 27.5 sacks with 33 tackles for loss and 51 QB hits.
The Falcons re-signed offensive linemen Brandon Parker and Storm Norton, the team announced Thursday.
Parker, 29m initially signed with the Falcons on Sept. 10 but did not play a down in 2024. He has played both left and right tackle in his NFL career.
The Raiders made Parker a third-round pick in 2018, and he also has played for the 49ers. In his career, Parker has 33 starts and 59 appearances.
Norton, 30, has played six NFL seasons, the past two with the Falcons.
In 2024, he appeared in all 17 games with one start, seeing action on 127 offensive snaps and 82 on special teams.
He went undrafted in 2017 and signed with the Lions. He made his NFL debut with the Vikings in 2018, and he played 35 games with 18 starts with the Chargers in 2020-22.
The Falcons return all but one member of their starting offensive line from 2024 as center Drew Dalman signed with the Bears.
The Falcons brought back three of their players with new deals on Wednesday.
The team announced that they have re-signed offensive lineman Elijah Wilkinson, linebacker Josh Woods, and offensive lineman Kyle Hinton.
Wilkinson joined the Falcons just before the start of the 2024 season and made two appearances. He also played in nine games for the Falcons in 2022 and has made 34 other appearances while with the Broncos, Bears, and Cardinals.
Woods had one tackle in five games last season and has played in 70 regular season games during his career. Hinton played every game in 2024 and has appeared in 33 games for the Falcons over the last two seasons.
Receiver KhaDarel Hodge will continue his career with the Falcons.
Hodge has agreed to return to Atlanta on a two-year, $6 million deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL media.
Hodge, 30, has spent the last three seasons with the Falcons. He caught seven passes for 131 yards last year — none bigger than his 45-yard touchdown catch-and-run to defeat the Buccaneers in Week 5. He ended the year with seven receptions for 131 yards.
Hodge made his first Pro Bowl as a special teamer in 2024. He was on the field for 54 percent of Atlanta’s special teams snaps and 20 percent of the club’s offensive snaps.
In 106 games for the Rams, Browns, Lions, and Falcons, Hodge has caught 64 passes for 995 yards with two TDs.
The Falcons and defensive lineman Ta’Quon Graham will be running it back.
Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reports that Graham has agreed to re-sign with the team. It is a one-year deal for the 2021 fifth-round pick.
Graham appeared in 10 games as a reserve last season and recorded 12 tackles. He made 39 appearances and started 16 times in his first three seasons. He had 72 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in those contests.
The Falcons released defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and re-signed cornerback Mike Hughes this week. They are are set to sign edge rusher Leonard Floyd, cornerback Mike Ford, and linebacker Divine Deablo.
Eddie Goldman is going to continue his career with the Commanders.
The veteran defensive lineman has agreed to a one-year deal with Washington, according to multiple reports.
Goldman, 31, returned to the league after two years last season and appeared in all 17 games with 10 starts. He finished the year with 16 total tackles with a sack.
He was on the field for 30 percent of Atlanta’s defensive snaps and nine percent of special teams snaps.
A second-round pick in the 2015 draft, Goldman has appeared in 81 games with 73 starts for Chicago and Atlanta. He’s recorded 14.0 sacks, 19 tackles for loss, and 24 quarterback hits in his career.
The Falcons are bringing back a player who is likely to contribute heavily on special teams.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Atlanta has agreed to terms with cornerback Mike Ford on a two-year, $4 million contract.
Ford, 29, spent the last two seasons with the Browns where he mainly played special teams. In 2024, he was on the field for 72 percent of the unit’s snaps and just five percent of defensive snaps.
He was previously with Atlanta in 2022, appearing in all 17 games with two starts. That year, he played 83 percent of special teams snaps and seven percent of defensive snaps.
Ford has appeared in 94 career games with 10 starts for Detroit, Denver, Atlanta, and Cleveland. He’s registered one interception with six passes defensed.
