The Atlanta Falcons' first move of free agency was to reunite with an ex-Falcon, and coincidentally enough, their second move of free agency was the same. Moments after bringing Olamide Zaccheus back, it was reported Atlanta agreed to terms on a one-year $3.25 million deal with Austin Hooper.
Reunion: The Falcons are signing TE Austin Hooper to a one-year, $3.25 million deal, per The Insiders.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 9, 2026
Deal negotiated by @SteveCaric of @WassermanNFL pic.twitter.com/yi1p5OVnJk
The Falcons clearly have a theme shaping out with their free agent signing thus far, and it isn't just Ian Cunningham making a concerted effort to sign as many of Matt Ryan's former teammates as humanly possible. But it's also revealed that this new regime wants to bring in players they are familiar with.
That's why this move does more than reunite Hooper with the team that drafted him in 2016. It reunites him with Kevin Stefanski, who coached him during his first two seasons at the helm in Cleveland. It's also a team-friendly deal for him to come step in as the new TE2 for the Dirty Birds.
Falcons went from signing one ex-Falcon in Olamide Zaccheus to another in Austin Hooper
And before you get all worried about what this means for Kyle Pitts, it means nothing. The two-time Pro Bowler is a mere rotational tight end now. After all, Stefanski employs a 2-TE set, which means they're bracing for him to take Charlie Woerner's role as the second tight end on the field in Atlanta.
The 31-year-old isn't the difference-maker he was during his first stint with the Falcons, but he can still be a key contributor. There's no risk involved in a one-year deal at this price, and we knew an addition at TE was going to come, although it coming from free agency instead of the draft is a shock.
Not only was Hooper on the Falcons' 2016 Super Bowl team that lost to the Patriots, he spent 2025 in New England as the backup for Hunter Henry. How's that for a full-circle moment? It's even cooler because they made (and lost) the Super Bowl to Seattle, yet he still chose to return to where it began.
It's pretty interesting to see them sign one player with ties to Stefanski and another with ties to Cunningham, especially when the legal tampering hasn't even been open that long yet and they don't have much money to spend. And they still have key players to retain like Kaden Elliss and Dee Alford.
The Falcons are in a spot where they are chasing value with their limited cap space, even if that came in the form of some nostalgia. After all, sometimes the best recipe for the future is to look to the past.