There will be a lot of big numbers flashed across screens on Thursday afternoon as free agency opens and players land contracts with teams around the league.
That’s a time for boundless optimism about how well everything is going to work out, but the reality of the NFL is that a lot of the years and dollars on contracts announced on Thursday will never become reality. A reminder of that comes from Atlanta on Thursday morning.
Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports that the Falcons will release defensive lineman Tyson Jackson. Jackson signed a five-year, $25 million early in free agency in 2014, but would leave the Falcons with two years and $8.5 million of that deal unrealized. The move would save the Falcons $2.65 million under the cap.
Jackson played every game over his three years with the Falcons and started 28 times during his first two seasons. He started seven games in 2016, but saw his playing time shrink to less than 30 percent of the team’s defensive snaps.
