The Atlanta Falcons have been budget shopping all day in free agency, but there have still been some fans holding out hope that Atlanta would make a big splash. John Franklin-Myers would have been the perfect addition to a defensive line that needs to add size on the interior, but that failed miserably.
The Falcons were expected to have a leg up in negotiations with Franklin-Myers because of his connection to defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, but their lack of cap space proved too much, as the 29-year-old ended up agreeing to terms on a three-year, $63 million deal with the Tennessee Titans.
So instead of joining forces with Ulbrich, a coach who worked with him with the New York Jets, Franklin-Myers decided to reunite with someone else he spent time with in New York: Robert Saleh. That has to sting, because if the Dirty Birds had a better financial situation, this could've been them.
Falcons' free agent target John Franklin-Myers is signing with the Titans
The Titans' pockets have been deep all day, so I would venture to say that the Falcons never really had a shot. Beyond signing Franklin-Myers, they spent big on Wan'Dale Robinson, Cor'Dale Flott, and Alontae Taylor, and I'm not sure Saleh and Brian Daboll are done playing the connection game yet.
They still have needs at running back and all over the offensive line and defense, but they're still blowing money like there's no tomorrow. Meanwhile, Ian Cunningham and Kevin Stefanski have made some deals and hit key needs, but they have yet to sign anyone worth phoning home about just yet.
They're probably better off like this instead of panic spending or burning a hole in their long-term cap outlook, but this one hurts a bit. The Falcons are struggling to find meaningful ways to address the defense in free agency, especially since David Onyemata is a Jet and James Pearce Jr. was arrested.
Franklin-Myers had a career year with Denver in 2025, as the Stephen F. Austin product logged career-bests in sacks in each of the last two years. He was also a key piece for one of the NFL's best defensive lines (that also led the NFL in sacks), and this deal could age poorly surrounded by less talent in Tennessee.
Now the Titans have Franklin-Myers and Jeffrey Simmons on the interior of their defensive line, which is disgusting. Now think about JFM and Brandon Dorlus could have accomplished. This was never happening but I see this as Saleh's revenge for not being able to bring Ulbrich with him to Tennessee.