With the Atlanta Falcons boasting a surplus of productive EDGE rushers in 2025, one man has continuously flown under the radar. Fourth-year pass-rusher Arnold Ebiketie might not be the flashiest name on the defensive line, but he's made himself a lot of money across the last few games.
In Atlanta's 26-19 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, Ebiketie logged his second sack of the year, making him the 11th Falcon to record multiple sacks this season. And those 11 players mark the second-most on a team in the NFL, with the Dirty Birds only trailing the Denver Broncos, who have 12.
The 26-year-old is set to be a free agent this offseason, and it seems like a foregone conclusion he won't be a Falcon in 2026. But given the fact he's enjoyed a resurgence across the last few weeks, it could turn out to complicate what was expected to be an easy choice for Falcons' GM Terry Fontenot.
Arnold Ebiketie is putting on a clinic in order to raise his free agent value
According to Pro Football Focus, his 90.0 PFF grade in Week 16 led the team and ranked third among all EDGE rushers this weekend. Additionally, his 90.4 pass rush grade led all EDGE rushers, but those numbers are a bit skewed since he only played four total snaps two pass-rushing snaps on Sunday.
Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. are the future of this Falcons' pass-rush, which means that Ebiketie and Leonard Floyd are as good as gone. The Penn State product's lack of production these last few seasons has been disappointing, but he's still proven he's a solid rotational pass-rusher.
They don't have the money to retain them both, since keeping impending free agents Kyle Pitts and Kaden Elliss in Atlanta will be the biggest priorities. And that doesn't even account for potential long-term extensions for Bijan Robinson and Drake London and a likely use of the franchise tag on Pitts.
Ebiketie's role has decreased considerably across the last few weeks, but has still managed to be productive when playing. Since he'll likely command around $10 million per season to stay in Flowery Branch, it seems highly unlikely that Fontenot would be inclined to make that sort of investment.
With that said, that doesn't mean he can't be productive somewhere else. The 2022 second-round pick has fallen out of favor with new DC Jeff Ulbrich, but he'll always have a role when he comes in and produces like this.