In Ian Cunningham's first offseason as a general manager, the Atlanta Falcons have a laundry list of players they need to try and keep (or extend), and its basically impossible to keep everyone. I'm sure Cunningham will be able to keep a big-name free agent or two, but a few guys are already guaranteed to leave.
The jury's still out on Kaden Elliss, but the major expected departures are Tyler Allgeier and David Onyemata. Both of those are pretty brutal, but one of those is bigger than the another, and the defense will badly miss Onyemata in the likely event he decides to pursue another NFL opportunity.
Of the free agents at IDL, only D.J. Reader and John Franklin-Myers are likely to command more money this offseason than the 33-year-old. They're both younger and better than him, so for the teams who think signing those two are too expensive, Onyemata makes sense as a potential pivot.
The Dirty Birds boast a talented roster, but Onyemata isn't getting younger, so if a DL-needy contender comes calling, it will be difficult for him to not consider it, especially considering he failed to make the playoffs in any of his three years in Atlanta and should want to compete for a Super Bowl.
The Atlanta Falcons need to start preparing for life without David Onyemata in 2026
People may not realize it, but Onyemata is a major loss for this Atlanta defense. He started to display some serious signs of age in 2025, but was still the best run defender the Falcons have. He was the anchor of a promising, young DT group in Atlanta, but they were still horrible at stopping the run.
Jeff Ulbrich has Brandon Dorlus, Zach Harrison, LaCale London (if he returns), and Ruke Orhorhoro at his disposal, so retaining Onyemata isn't an end-all be-all. However, having a veteran like him keeps the youth in check, especially since those guys are better at rushing the passer than stuffing the run.
According to Pro Football Focus, Onyemata's 78.2 PFF grade and 74.2 run defense grade both ranked eighth out of 134 qualified defensive tackles. That's valuable in ways that won't show up on the stat sheet, especially given his efforts didn't translate to success against the run for the Falcons.
His 62 total tackles in 2025 also marked a career-high, so even though there were some struggles, No. 90 could do a lot to help a term in the short-term. Odds are he's only signing a one or two-year deal and Spotrac projects his market value around the $9 million mark, which may be his final payday.
Teams like the Chargers, Lions, and Chiefs could be involved in his market, so if teams like that come calling, we'll be bidding him farewell in a few days.