David Onyemata entered the offseason as a lock to be released, or so we thought. The veteran defensive tackle remains with the Atlanta Falcons while his two-year counterpart and franchise legend, Grady Jarrett, was released.
It has been surprising. Onymata is coming off an unimpactful 2024 season and has a cap hit of $17 million this season. The Falcons could use the $10.5M a post-June 1 release would award them, so what is their plan for him?
David Onyemata could be a trade chip for the Atlanta Falcons
Kirk Cousins has dominated the headlines regarding potential Atlanta Falcons trades, and for good reason. The veteran quarterback will likely find himself elsewhere before the offseason's end.
However, David Onyemata should be included in those discussions. The Falcons have been looking to get younger on defense, which could continue by moving on from the 32-year-old.
The fact that the Falcons released Grady Jarrett and remained quiet with the older lineman says a lot. It seemed inevitable that he would be released, even if it left the team with few proven pieces on the interior.
A contending team may value Onyemata for his run-stuffing ability. A trade would likely come post-June 1 since it would save the Falcons another $2M against the cap.
With that being said, letting the veteran go would put even more pressure on Ruke Orhorhoro and newcomer Morgan Fox. Jeff Ulbrich may decide that Onyemata's experience is worth the price.
As we stand now, keeping the veteran or trading him after June 1 are the two outcomes.