How are Atlanta Falcons fans coping with another season that ended before the playoffs? Not well, in all honesty, but the fanbase has been looking towards the offseason for months now, since Raheem Morris had this team eliminated from playoff contention before Thanksgiving dinner was served.
Fans are especially excited for the offseason now that Kevin Stefanski is coming to town, but their $17.4 million in cap space isn't very encouraging. At this point, that might not even be enough money to use the franchise tag on Kyle Pitts, let alone retain several of their key impending free agents.
This number isn't even close to where things will end up if you account for player cuts and other moves. The Falcons may not have a general manager in place yet, but Matt Ryan and Ian Cunningham can restructure some contracts to open up some more cap space, and four names stand out.
When it's all said and done, the Dirty Birds could open up nearly $41 million in cap space by restructuring the contracts of four notable players: Jake Matthews, Chris Lindstrom, Jessie Bates III, and A.J. Terrell—all of whom are players the Falcons can't afford to outright release this offseason.
Player | Money freed up with restructure |
|---|---|
OT Jake Matthews | $9.8 million |
OG Chris Lindstrom | $11.025 million |
S Jessie Bates III | $9.54 million |
CB A.J. Terrell | $10.338 million |
Falcons can save a lot of money this offseason without having to make a flurry of roster moves
As the longest-tenured player on this roster, let's start with Matthews. According to Pro Football Focus, his 82.4 pass blocking grade ranked fifth among all qualified offensive tackles, and has consistently provided this Atlanta offense with stability in the trenches for over a decade now.
The Falcons don't have anyone waiting in the wings to replace the Texas A&M product at left tackle, but he is getting up there in age. He'll turn 34 next month, so the best course of action is to convert this money to a signing bonus so he won't be going anywhere despite his $16 million cap hit in 2026.
As for Lindstrom, his situation is different. The four-time All-Pro Second Teamer signed a five-year, $102.5 million contract extension prior to the 2023 season. He's set to make north of $20 million in each of the next three seasons, including a $16 million base salary and $26.25 million cap hit in 2026.
Obviously, Lindstrom isn't going anywhere as the most productive player on the offensive line and their anchor as a run blocker, but the Falcons can also save $11.025 million by converting that money into a signing bonus, which could be used to help sign Bijan Robinson to a long-term extension.
Jessie Bates is an interesting one, since his contract will expire after the season. So out of all of the players listed here, he has the best chance of being cut, especially because of Xavier Watts' emergence, while his $13.02 million base salary and $24.77 million cap hit in 2026 doesn't help.
The Falcons can't get out of this deal until 2027, so they're stuck with the 28-year-old. He was well worth the four-year $64.02 million deal he received during the 2023 offseason, especially considering he nabbed another three interceptions in 2025 and two came against Matthew Stafford.
A.J. Terrell had a down year in 2025, but that was also due to some instability in the secondary. He's still one of the most important players on this defense, even with a $15 million base salary. The Clemson product signed a four-year $81 million extension in 2024, and hasn't played up to it.
The Falcons can get out of this contract this offseason due to an out in his new deal, but that would also leave them with $55 million in dead cap. In actuality, they won't be able to get out of this contract until it expires in 2028, so they may draft some reinforcements and hope he returns to form in 2026.
At this stage, it makes sense to restructure all of these contracts, because it could see their cap space skyrocket, which could have Atlanta looking like legit players once free agency rolls around.