Now that the Atlanta Falcons have used the franchise tag on Kyle Pitts, it's no secret that Kaden Elliss is their most important player set to hit free agency this offseason. The Falcons would obviously love to keep him, but by the looks of it, Elliss is expected to have a robust market in free agency next week.
Naturally, you'd love to see Ian Cunningham find a way to keep him, but it's starting to look like that won't happen. Not only did Cunningham fail to commit to retaining him while addressing the media at the NFL combine, he said the Falcons will have to evaluate their cap situation in order to keep him.
The first-year GM's words echoed a report from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano, who are expecting Elliss to cost a pretty penny on a new contract. He will be rightfully sought-after this offseason, and that could result in him signing a contract that the Dirty Birds are unwilling to match.
"He should be among the top three highest-paid off-ball linebackers in free agency."Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano
As badly as he loves Atlanta or most Falcons fans want him back, the writing is on the wall for this one. If the 30-year-old signs a deal that makes him one of the highest-paid off-ball linebackers in free agency like Fowler and Graziano suggested, he may have priced himself out of Atlanta's pay grade.
It sure sounds like the Falcons are preparing for life without Kaden Elliss
The Falcons have limited cap space this offseason and they have to agree to extensions with Pitts, Bijan Robinson, and Drake London, so Elliss may become an afterthought. Even Jeff Ulbrich seems to know how important he is to his defense, but he may need to count his blessings before free agency.
The one player who will likely dictate a lot about Elliss' market is Philadelphis Eagles' linebacker Nakobe Dean. Elliss, Dean, and Devin Lloyd are the three best free agent linebackers available, so while 55 doesn't have the name value of the other two guys, he was vital to Atlanta's defensive turnaround.
The Idaho product was a first-year captain in 2025 and does everything you could want from a green dot. He can get to the QB, he is good in coverage, and has the football IQ to make plays all over the field. He is a true jack-of-all-trades at linebacker, and that skillset doesn't come around all that often.
Elliss deserves a big money deal, but it's pretty unfortunate that it almost confirms he won't be returning to Atlanta in 2026. Assuming he does leave, he will be leaving some massive shoes to fill, so hopefully Cunningham is able to scour the linebacker market for a way more affordable replacement.