5 Former Atlanta Falcons to watch closely this season

5. Russell Gage

Before Julio Jones landed with Tampa Bay his former Atlanta teammate signed a 3-year $30-million dollar deal with the Bucs. A deal the Falcons weren’t in a position to give Gage considering their cap situation and impending rebuild. Gage much like Julio shouldn’t be faulted for choosing Tom Brady and Tampa Bay.

Playing with the best quarterback of all time and joining an offense that has a reputation of feeding each of its receivers the football.  Tampa offered Gage the chance to make an impact while playing for a team with legitimate Super Bowl hopes.

Watching Gage and Julio play in the same offense once again in Atlanta’s own division will be tough but it was the right move for both players. From the jump, it will increase their relevance around the league considering how often Tampa will win and how closely the media will follow the team.

Russell Gage was a great third option with the Atlanta Falcons and had huge games down the stretch last season when Matt Ryan was searching for targets. He had a solid career with Atlanta but not one that demanded Atlanta use what little cap space they had to keep him. Gage joining Tampa Bay was the right move for both sides.