Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons have reportedly agreed to contracts with former Carolina Panthers running back Mike Davis and former Chicago Bears linebacker Barkevious Mingo.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Davis deal is worth $5.5 million over two years with $3 million fully guaranteed in the first year.

Rapoport also reported that Mingo's contract is for one year, although he did not disclose any financial terms.

The 28-year-old journeyman is set to enter his seventh NFL season in 2021.

After getting selected in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL draft, the former South Carolina standout bounced around between several teams.

He spent two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers and two seasons with the Seattle Seahawks before splitting 2019 between the Bears and Panthers, and then spending all of 2020 in Carolina.

Davis didn't get much run during his first five seasons aside from the 2018 campaign in Seattle when he rushed for 514 yards and four touchdowns on 112 carries to go along with 34 receptions for 214 yards and one score.

He eclipsed those totals in 2020 as the fill-in starter for Christian McCaffrey, who missed all but three games because of various injuries.

In 15 contests, including 12 starts, Davis rushed for 642 yards and six touchdowns on 165 carries, while also catching 59 passes for 373 yards and two scores.

The Falcons' 2020 starter at running back, Todd Gurley, is a free agent, as is backup Brian Hill. That left Ito Smith and Qadree Ollison as the top running backs on the roster before Davis' signing.

Smith has rushed for just 689 yards and six touchdowns in three seasons, while Ollison has rushed for 53 yards and four touchdowns in two years, meaning Davis may be the favorite to start if Atlanta doesn't add any more backs.

As for Mingo, he adds some much-needed linebacker depth and gives the Falcons a quality special teams contributor.

Mingo was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns after a standout collegiate career at LSU, and while he has not come close to living up to expectations, he has carved out a long NFL career.

The 30-year-old veteran is about to play for his seventh team in the past seven seasons, as he played three years for the Browns before playing one season each for the New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Seattle Seahawks, Houston Texans and Bears.

Mingo, who won a Super Bowl with the Pats, has recorded 255 tackles, 12.5 sacks and five forced fumbles in 126 career games, including 40 starts.

He started three of the 16 games he appeared in for Chicago last season, finishing with 35 tackles and 2.5 sacks.

Mingo will lend support to linebackers Deion Jones, Foyesade Oluokun, Brandon Copeland and Co. for a Falcons defense that ranked 29th in total defense and 19th in scoring defense last season.

Atlanta Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo wrote a heartfelt message on Instagram following a series of shootings at Atlanta-area spas that left eight people dead. 

"I am deeply saddened by the events that took place in Atlanta yesterday and although there is no definitive answer yet on what this investigation will bring, I feel now is the time to address the rise in hate crimes against ALL races over the last few years," Koo wrote. "... I realize now more than ever that this is an issue that needs to be addressed and that ignoring it won't help us do that."

Falcons owner Arthur Blank issued a statement as well: "The rise in violence and hate, specifically towards the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, is inconceivable, unacceptable, and cannot be tolerated."

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, six of the eight victims were Asian women. The suspect, a 21-year-old man who has been arrested, allegedly shot and killed eight people in three different spas in the Atlanta area over the course of 45 minutes on Tuesday evening.

The shootings come as hate crimes against Asian Americans are on the rise.

The nonprofit Stop AAPI Hate tracks acts of hate, violence, bullying, discrimination and harassment against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders across the country. The group said in February it documented 2,808 reports of "anti-Asian hate" in at least 47 states and the District of Columbia from March 19, 2020, to Dec. 31, 2020.

With the COVID-19 pandemic beginning to take hold in the U.S., the FBI warned last March that hate crimes against Asian Americans could increase because the virus was first identified in China. Many contend politicians, including former President Donald Trump, stoked the level of animosity by labeling COVID-19 the "Wuhan virus" or "Chinese virus."

The Atlanta Falcons have made it closer to the salary cap after reportedly restructuring the contract of quarterback Matt Ryan, according to Zach Klein of television station WSB. 

Per Klein, Ryan's $23 million base salary for 2021 will drop to $2 million, with $21 million guaranteed over the next three years as bonuses. His cap hit for the upcoming season decreased from $40.9 million to $26.9 million. 

The team has come a long way since the start of its offseason moves, when it began with $30 million to shed before they were under the salary cap. The Falcons released three players—Ricardo Allen, James Carpenter and Allen Bailey—and then restructured the contract of left tackle Jake Matthews to ditch another $8 million, per Deen Worley of Falcons Wire. 

With the restructuring of Ryan's deal, the Falcons are finally in the safe spot regarding the cap, per Over the Cap. They are projected to have $177,204 to spend as of Tuesday afternoon. But there may still be other decisions to make if the team wants to make any significant moves in free agency. 

The decision to spread out the salary of the only quarterback on its roster shows that the team is going to remain committed to him for at least the next several years. Since the Falcons pick at No. 4 in the upcoming draft, they could take one of the top collegiate signal-callers if they don't find one in free agency. 

The Atlanta Falcons and the rest of the NFC South can take a sigh of relief.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees announced his retirement Sunday with a message on his Instagram page:

"After 20 years as a player in the NFL and 15 years as a Saint, it is time I retire from the game of football. Each day, I poured my heart & soul into being your Quarterback. Til the very end, I exhausted myself to give everything I had to the Saints organization, my team, and the great city of New Orleans. We shared some amazing moments together, many of which are emblazoned in our hearts and minds and will forever be a part of us. You have molded me, strengthened me, inspired me, and given me a lifetime of memories. My goal for the last 15 years was striving to give to you everything you had given to me and more.

"I am only retiring from playing football, I am not retiring from New Orleans. This is not goodbye, rather a new beginning. Now my real life‘s work begins!"

The Falcons aren't going to miss him:

Atlanta's sentiment makes sense, as the Saints have won the NFC South four years in a row with the future Hall of Famer leading the way. He also won a Super Bowl during his time in New Orleans and is surely one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history.

The Falcons no longer have to worry about him tearing up the rest of the division.

The Atlanta Falcons aren't planning to place the franchise tag on veteran safety Keanu Neal, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

Neal finished with 97 tackles, two passes defended, one sack and one interception in 2020.

Over the Cap estimates the franchise tag for a safety to be worth nearly $11.2 million for the 2021 season.

Neal showed promise early in his career, reaching the Pro Bowl in 2017. Then, he was limited to four games acrosss 2018 and 2019, suffering a torn ACL and a torn Achilles tendon.

Between those two injuries and his performance last season, it comes as little surprise the Falcons aren't yet prepared to pay the 25-year-old like one of the game's top safeties. Pro Football Focus ranked him as the No. 72 free agent on the board:

"A former first-round pick, Neal found his home immediately as a traditional strong safety in the Falcons’ Cover 1/Cover 3 scheme. He made an impact from Day 1, flying around the field in the run game and showing good range against underneath routes when playing zone. Unfortunately, injuries limited Neal to just 213 snaps across 2018 and 2019, but he was healthy once again in 2020, grading out at 68.2 overall. Neal is a classic box safety who does his best work around the line of scrimmage and in the middle of the field, and his future team should look for him to play a similar role."

Spotrac also estimates Atlanta to be $15.9 million over the salary cap (using a $185 million cap), so general manager Terry Fontenot will need to be a bit frugal.

Should this be the end for Neal on the Falcons, his departure would continue what was a string of poor NFL draft returns under Fontenot's predecessor, Thomas Dimitroff:

Once he officially hits the open market, the Dallas Cowboys could be a logical landing spot for Neal.

Free safety is an area Dallas needs to address through free agency or the draft, and former Falcons head coach Dan Quinn took over as the Cowboys defensive coordinator in January.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the Atlanta Falcons, is going to be used as a mass COVID-19 vaccination site in the state of Georgia. 

The White House announced on Friday that the facility will be able "to deliver 6,000 shots per day."

The announcement comes one month after the NFL told President Joe Biden in a letter that all 32 teams were willing to make their home stadiums available "for mass vaccinations of the general public."

"We have a total of 15 stadiums and facilities that have been serving as vaccination sites," the league said in a statement released Friday. "The Atlanta site has been up and running since early January. It will now have increased capacity thanks to today's initiative."

Use of the Falcons' home stadium will allow Georgia health officials to administer more vaccinations to local residents in a timely manner.  

Other NFL stadiums that have been in use as vaccination sites include Levi's Stadium (San Francisco 49ers), Gillette Stadium (New England Patriots) and SoFi Stadium (Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers). AT&T Stadium (Dallas Cowboys) is expected to join the list later this month. 

Mercedes-Benz Stadium opened in August 2017 and become the home for the Falcons as well as the host site for the SEC Championship Game each football season.  

Atlanta Falcons tight end Hayden Hurst received an outpouring of support after opening up about the mental health issues he's faced. 

Grateful fans created videos thanking Hurst for telling his story, and he watched along in an emotional video posted by the team Tuesday:

Hurst first gained national attention for his advocacy when he approached Dak Prescott after a game and credited the Dallas Cowboys quarterback for his openness regarding depression.

The 27-year-old created the Hayden Hurst Family Foundation in 2018 with a focus on mental health and suicide prevention and said in May that he attempted suicide while in college.

In December, Hurst provided more detail on his story in a powerful video, "Breaking the Stigma Around Mental Health."

It clearly had a profound impact on numerous people who felt the need to reach out to the NFL player.

The 2018 first-round pick is coming off of his best season in the NFL with career highs in receptions (56), yards (571) and touchdowns (6), but it seems he is doing much more off the field.

Atlanta Falcons star Grady Jarrett is partnering with his franchise and the NFL to send a 12-year-old fan to the Super Bowl in Tampa Bay, Florida, this weekend.

The defensive end surprised Taeden Johnson of Athens, Georgia, with two tickets to what will be his first NFL game after the Falcons fan lost three family members in a mobile home fire Jan. 27, according to ESPN's Michael DiRocco.

Johnson was able to escape to a neighbor's home and call 911 before he ran back to help his mother, grandmother and younger sister, who died in the fire.

Now, Jarrett is leading the effort to help bring Johnson to see the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs battle for the Lombardi Trophy. Per DiRocco, the Falcons are stepping in to provide transportation and lodging accommodations for the weekend as well. 

Atlanta Falcons chairman Arthur Blank donated $17 million to the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in downtown Atlanta, according to Blank's Family Foundation on Thursday. 

The money will be disbursed over five years and is earmarked to aid in the development and expansion of the museum. That includes a new three-story wing, and the Blank Family Foundation will donate another $2 million to create programming that seeks to "connect our racial history to the present, bring diverse groups together, and make progress through conversation and leadership." 

Blank said in a statement:

"The most effective way to make progress together as a community is to shine a light on the issues that exist and to then do something about them so that everyone can feel a sense of understanding and support. We believe in the power of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights to educate, include and transform the whole of this community and this country so that together, we can create tangible, positive change."

The displays slated for the added wing include the Without Sanctuary Collection of postcards, which depict anti-lynching an lynching artifacts, as well as space for visiting an temporary exhibitions. The top floor will house the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. papers, which is intended to be the featured attraction.

Blank has donated more than $20 million to the museum, including a $1.5 million grant to help establish the facility in 2013. 

Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank doesn't see his quarterback or one of his top receivers playing elsewhere in 2021. 

Asked about the future of signal-caller Matt Ryan, Blank told NFL Network's Andrew Siciliano that he would be "completely shocked" if Ryan was with another team next season, and he took the liberty of shutting down rumors that Julio Jones was headed out of Atlanta.

"They'll both be with us," he said (h/t Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk). 

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero said the team hasn't had "any trade conversations" about either player, even amid the uncertainty following a disappointing season in Atlanta.

The Falcons went 4-12 in 2020 and have hired a new coach and general manager, while their quarterback will turn 36 but still count for $40.9 million against the cap. If he was moved before June 1, he would produce $44 million in dead money against the Falcons, Pelissero said.

Falcons president Rich McKay said in December that he would not interfere if the new general manager wanted to move on from either player, noting that whoever was hired would have to prove it was the right call.

"Give us a plan," he told The Athletic's Jeff Schultz and Tori McElhaney. "Show us what you want to do and show us why. Show us how this gets us to Ws and make sure you actually execute the plan."

But according to multiple reports, it doesn't seem like either new GM Terry Fontenot or new head coach Arthur Smith are looking to move on from two of their stars in their quest to rebuild the franchise.