When news dropped that offensive tackle Kaleb McGary was retiring, a few hours later, it was reported that the Falcons were signing Jawaan Taylor as a potential replacement.
In Atlanta’s pre-draft press conference on Monday, General Manager Ian Cunningham confirmed the club wasn’t surprised by McGary hanging up his cleats.
“We knew that that was a possibility,” Cunningham said, via transcript from the team. “I think that’s for us to kind of make sure that we protect the organization and the team. So once we kind of figure that part out, that’s on us to kind of try to figure out what are some options, whether it’s trade, whether it’s free agency.
“And while Kaleb was obviously a really good player for the franchise and we were fortunate to be able to get a player in Jawaan Taylor, who’s started a lot of games at right tackle and played on some really good teams at right tackle. So we’re excited about him and what he can bring to our offense in the run and pass game. Fortunately enough, he was still available when that happened. So we made sure to cross our tees and dot our eyes and be prepared and glad to go ahead, work out.”
Cunningham added that with Taylor, the club likes that he’s big, strong, physical, and consistent.
“I think he’s going to help us in the pass game, obviously help us in the run game as well,” Cunningham said. “So, we’re excited.”
Head coach Kevin Stefanski also said they see Taylor as a “really good cultural fit.”
“[E]njoyed my time spent when he came in and just getting to know him a little bit, but will fit in great with that room,” Stefanski said. “And like Ian mentioned, he’s played on some good football teams. He’s had some great experience at that position, which it’s rare that you can have a guy that’s available that we can put in there and can lean on all that experience.”
Falcons Clips
The World Cup is coming soon. And it’s quickly becoming a pain in the posterior for the 13 teams playing in stadiums that will be commandeered for intercontinental soccer.
Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal recently reviewed some of the practical impacts of FIFA bigfooting the various venues where fútbol will be played. This week, for example, the Jets and Giants will move their annual draft parties away from MetLife Stadium to Manhattan.
In all, 13 teams are impacted by the World Cup: the Cowboys, Jets, Giants, Falcons, Chiefs, Texans, 49ers, Chargers, Rams, Eagles, Seahawks, Patriots, and Dolphins.
For the teams that have employees at the stadiums hosting World Cup games, many will be moved. Those who are staying put will be subject to FIFA credentialing to get into their workplaces. And the Giants will start training camp in West Virginia, since MetLife Stadium will be hosting the final match on July 19 on a grass field that will need to be removed and replaced with one of the worst artificial surfaces in the entire league.
That last part still has to be the most galling for NFL players. Owners with stadiums that don’t have grass have bent over backwards to do whatever had to be done to placate FIFA. Their regular employees, however, will still be stuck with a lesser (and far cheaper) playing surface.
The various sacrifices involuntarily made by the players and other team employees should prompt FIFA to give them all a phony, made-up award. Especially since FIFA has already done that, for far less.
The Falcons and Jaguars have agreed to a swap of defensive linemen.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Atlanta has agreed to send defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro to Jacksonville in exchange for defensive tackle Maason Smith. Both players were second-round picks in 2024 with Orhorhoro going to the Falcons at No. 35 and Smith going to the Jags at No. 48.
Orhorhoro played in eight games as a rookie and all 17 games last season. He made eight starts and finished the season with 25 tackles and 3.5 sacks.
Smith played 24 games and started seven times over his first two seasons. He had 32 tackles and three sacks in those appearances.
The NFL has announced the names of the current and former players that will take part in next week’s draft by announcing second-round picks.
The list includes players associated with all 32 teams, including Cardinals running back James Conner. Conner has strong ties to the Pittsburgh area after playing for the Steelers and attending Pitt, which likely made him an easy choice as the Cardinals’ representative.
Former Bears tackle Jimbo Covert, former Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett, former Chiefs defensive lineman Bill Maas, current Vikings tackle Brian O’Neill, former Jets running back Curtis Martin, and former 49ers punter Andy Lee are other Pitt alums who are set to take part.
The hometown team will be represented by four players. Former Steelers Jerome Bettis and John Stallworth will be joined by Joey Porter Sr. and Jr. next Friday.
The other players taking part and their team affiliations appear below:
Falcons: Michael Turner
Ravens: Mark Ingram
Bills: Shane Conlan
Panthers: Jake Delhomme
Bengals: Ken Anderson
Browns: Phil Dawson
Cowboys: Drew Pearson
Broncos: T.J. Ward
Lions: Calvin Johnson
Packers: John Kuhn
Texans: Billy Miller
Colts: Pat McAfee
Jaguars: Paul Posluszny
Raiders: Matt Millen
Chargers: Shawne Merriman
Rams: Tavon Austin
Dolphins: Dwight Stephenson
Patriots: Deion Branch
Saints: Marques Colston
Giants: Osi Umenyiora
Eagles: Brian Westbrook
Seahawks: Cliff Avril
Buccaneers: Ronde Barber
Titans: Jeffery Simmons
Commanders: Mark Rypien
If you think a story about a cabinet secretary cutting the penis off of a dead raccoon is the craziest thing you’ll hear all day, think again.
Actually, it’s hard to top the raccoon penis thing.
In any event, Daniel Kaplan recently reported for the Guardian on the case of Luther Davis. He’s a former member of the Alabama football team. More recently, he allegedly scammed lenders out of nearly $20 million, in part by impersonating a trio of NFL players: Michael Penix Jr., Xavier McKinney, and David Njoku.
Per the report, Davis plans to plead guilty later this month on charges based on allegations that he “obtained at least thirteen fraudulent loans totaling more than $19,845,000.” Of the amount, $11.6 million was obtained by pretending to be Penix, McKinney, and Njoku.
Davis allegedly worked with CJ Evins to secure the loans. Evins also plans to plead guilty.
As Kaplan explains it, the scheme began with the registration in Georgia of fake companies with names closely related to the players’ names or initials. Then, bank accounts and fraudulent email accounts were opened. Next, Davis and Evins secured fake identification documents for the players. At that point, they contacted loan brokers, providing fabricated documents.
Then came the kicker — Davis would attend the loan closings disguised as the player. The effort included makeup, wigs, and (when Davis was impersonating Penix) a durag.
The only connection by the players to the scam is that they had their identities stolen.
The fake loan obtained in McKinney’s name became the subject of civil litigation between the lender and the broker. A trial is set for July 2026.
The initial reporting regarding the new Kirk Cousins contract with the Raiders was confusing, to say the least. Clarity has finally arrived.
It was described as a clear-as-mud “five-year, $172 million deal . . . that in reality is a one-year, fully-guaranteed $20 million deal that also contains a club option for two years at $80M.”
Here’s the full breakdown, per a source with knowledge of the terms:
1. 2026 base salary: $1.3 million, fully guaranteed.
2. 2027 offseason roster bonus: $10 million, fully guaranteed and not subject to offset.
3. 2027 base salary: $1.345 million, not guaranteed at signing but fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2027 league year.
4. 2028 base salary: $78.655 million, not guaranteed at signing but fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2027 league year.
5. 2029 base salary: $40 million.
6. 2030 base salary: $40 million.
The contract, if terminated before the fifth day of the 2027 league year, pays $11.3 million fully guaranteed for one season. The $1.3 million salary for 2026 leaves the Falcons on the hook for $8.7 million, since Cousins had a $10 million fully guaranteed roster bonus with offset for 2026.
The end result for Cousins will be $20 million for 2026, with the Raiders paying $11.3 million of it. Next year, if he’s cut, he’ll keep everything he gets from another team.
If the Raiders, for whatever reason, decide to keep Cousins beyond the 2026 season, he’ll make $91.3 million from the Raiders for three seasons, plus the $8.7 million from the Falcons. That equates to $100 million over three years.
It’s unlikely the Raiders will retain Cousins beyond 2026. If, for some reason, they decide to do so, the three-year investment isn’t ridiculous. It works out to an average of $30.43 million per year.
The Falcons have put one of their best players under contract for 2027.
Per Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, Atlanta has exercised running back Bijan Robinson’s fifth-year option on Friday.
Robinson is projected to make $11.3 million in 2027 under the option.
This was an expected move, especially after Robinson led the league with 2,298 yards from scrimmage in 2025. He rushed for 1,478 yards with seven touchdowns and caught 79 passes for 820 yards with four TDs.
The No. 8 overall pick of the 2023 draft, Robinson has played every game for which he’s been eligible over the past three seasons. He’s registered 3,910 yards rushing with 25 touchdowns and caught 198 passes for 1,738 yards with nine touchdowns.
The Saints have meetings with a couple of wide receivers on the docket for Saturday.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Ted Hurst and Omar Cooper are both slated to visit with the NFC South team.
Hurst had 127 catches for 1,965 yards and 15 touchdowns at Georgia State the last two seasons. He transferred to the school after playing at Valdosta State and is meeting with the Falcons on Friday. Another local prospect, former Georgia defensive tackle Christen Miller, is also in Atlanta.
Hurst is not generally projected to go as early in the draft as Cooper, who starred at Indiana en route to last season’s national title. Cooper is meeting with the Commanders on Friday.
Falcons running back Bijan Robinson says he feels like he’s entering his physical prime, and he says offseason workouts with 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey are a big part of that.
“Now going on my fourth year, I want to be a leader of these guys,” Robinson said at the start of the Falcons’ offseason program.
“I’m pretty excited. How I feel, they talk about your prime years, this is the best I’ve felt my whole time being here.”
Robinson said he and McCaffrey work hard together but also are very mindful of not over-taxing their bodies and the importance of recovery to go along with the importance of working out.
“I was working in California with McCaffrey. That’s a cool deal. We put in work. We take care of our bodies. His regimen has been really good for me,” Robinson said.
Robinson’s production has increased in each of his first three NFL seasons, and he said constant improvement is the goal.
“Every year I’m just trying to be better than the last year in all aspects of my game,” Robinson said.
Robinson said he and new Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski have spent a lot of time going over the offense, and he said he’s excited by the changes Stefanski is making, while also crediting Stefanski for keeping running backs coach Michael Pitre, the only position coach Robinson has had in the NFL, on the Falcons’ staff.
“I’m super excited. We’ve been talking since he’s been here, going about the plan and what to expect. I’m super pumped to get out there,” Robinson said. “Looking at the plays and starting to study, it’s going to be explosive.”
Jessie Bates has spent the past three seasons in Atlanta after signing a four-year, $64.02 million deal as a free agent. The one-time Pro Bowl safety enters the final year of his contract hoping to finish his career with the Falcons.
“Yeah, absolutely,” Bates said, via Tori McElhaney of the team website. “I want to retire as a Falcon. I have a beautiful house here, a beautiful family. My family loves it here. Why would I not want to be a Falcon?”
Bates said the Falcons have not discussed a potential extension with him.
“I think every year is a one-year contract,” Bates said. “Things can change. People can get traded, get cut. That’s the mindset you’ve got to have when you’re talking about a one-year approach. Whether I had two years left on my deal or I had one, I would come in here and work like I only had one.”
Bates, 29, has started all 51 possible games the past three seasons and has totaled 332 tackles, 13 interceptions, 27 passes defensed and eight forced fumbles.
He wants to show he still can play at a Pro Bowl level as he approaches 30.
“I say every year you have something to prove,” Bates said. “Every single year you have to prove to whoever it is that you’re still this player, or this leader. Whatever it is, you want to go and prove to somebody that you’re still that guy.”
