Disclaimer: The statements and opinions regarding players and/or potential future players in the article below are those of the AtlantaFalcons.com editorial staff and are not of the Atlanta Falcons' football personnel unless noted in a direct quote.
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The 2026 free agency period has begun. The moves made in the coming weeks will alter the NFL landscape and provide teams the opportunity to improve their future outlook.
This article is meant to serve as your go-to resource for all Falcons free agency moves and updates. Our editorial staff will update the tracker with reports and official announcements regarding any signings, extensions or other notable events involving Atlanta. We will also keep tabs on where former Falcons end up signing.
This year, the editorial team will be independently aggregating reports from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, as well as ESPN's Adam Schefter. They will do so during the "two-day negotiating period," which begins at 12 p.m. ET on March 9, and ends at 4 p.m. ET on March 11.
Clubs are permitted to contact, and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who will become unrestricted free agents upon the expiration of their 2025 player contracts at 4 p.m. ET on March 12. Once the new league year begins at that time, the editorial team will only include official team news in the tracker.
Bookmark this page to stay up to date on everything you need to know about the Falcons in free agency.
SIGNED: Tight end Austin Hooper
Date of announcement: Thursday, March 12
Resume highlights:
- Began his career with the Atlanta Falcons after being drafted in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Across four seasons on his rookie deal, Hooper played in 59 games with 28 starts accumulating 214 catches for 2,244 yards and 16 touchdowns.
- Hooper was a two-time Pro Bowl selection in 2018 and 2019.
- He caught 84 passes for 780 yards and seven touchdowns with the Cleveland Browns over two seasons.
MORE: Read full analysis here
SIGNED: Kicker Nick Folk
Date of announcement: Thursday, March 12
Resume highlights:
- Played in the NFL for 18 seasons and has scored the 16th-most points in league history.
- Led the league in field goal percentage each of the last three seasons.
- Sixth-round pick by the Dallas Cowboys in the 2007 NFL Draft.
MORE: Read full analysis here
SIGNED: Linebacker Christian Harris
Date of announcement: Thursday, March 12
Resume highlights:
- Third-round pick by the Houston Texans in 2022 NFL Draft.
- Returned an interception 36 yards for a touchdown in wild-card game against the Cleveland Browns in 2023.
- Has four sacks and 13 pass defenses in his NFL career.
MORE: Read full analysis here
RE-SIGNED: Defensive tackle LaCale London
Date of announcement: Thursday, March 12
Resume highlights:
- Been with the Falcons since 2023 season.
- Had five sacks during the 2025 season, fourth-most on the team.
MORE: Read full analysis here
SIGNED: Defensive end Cameron Thomas
Date of announcement: Thursday, March 12
Resume highlights:
- Third-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2022 NFL Draft.
- Has played in 58 games during his four-year career with 79 tackles, 6.5 sacks and 15 quarterback hits.
- Played for Kevin Stefanski during 2024 and 2025 seasons.
MORE: Read full analysis here
TEAM NEWS
- The Atlanta Falcons released quarterback Kirk Cousins with a post-June 1 designation. Cousins spent the past two seasons in Atlanta after joining as a free agent during the 2024 offseason. The veteran quarterback started 22 games for the Falcons, including the final seven games of the 2025 season after Michael Penix Jr. sustained a season-ending injury. He went 5-2 during that seven-game stretch and helped Atlanta win the last four games of the season. Cousins completed 65% of his passes with the Falcons and threw for 5,229 yards with 28 touchdowns and 21 interceptions. Read more here.
- The Atlanta Falcons restructured linebacker Troy Andersen's contract and released wide receivers Darnell Mooney and KhaDarel Hodge. Andersen, a former second-round pick, has one year remaining on his contract. He earned NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors during the 2024 season, but missed the 2025 season due to injury. Read more here.
- The Atlanta Falcons have extended cornerback Natrone Brooks. The Falcons signed Brooks as an undrafted free agent in 2023 out of Southern Miss. He was a practice squad member who was notoriously brought up over the last few years to account for added depth in the secondary. Brooks has made 26 game appearances through 2024 and 2025. He made one start.
- The Atlanta Falcons have tendered exclusive rights free agent Elijah Garcia. According to the league, an exclusive rights free agent is a player with three accrued seasons and an expired contract. RFAs are free to negotiate and sign with any team, but their original team can offer them one of various qualifying offers ("tenders") that come with the Right of First Refusal and/or draft-pick compensation. The defensive end originally signed with the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2022. He joined up with the Falcons in November 2025 when he was signed off the New York Giants' practice squad.
LATEST REPORTS
Wednesday, March 11
- According to NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, the Atlanta Falcons plan to sign edge rusher Azeez Ojulari to a one-year deal. After playing his college career at the University of Georgia, Ojulari was drafted by the New York Giants in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He is originally from Austell, Georgia, and attended high school at Marietta High School. Ojulari burst onto the professional scene in 2021 accumulating eight sacks, which set the all-time Giants record for most sacks by a rookie. His next three seasons in New York were cut short at various times because of injury. He played on a one-year deal in 2025 with the Philadelphia Eagles. He saw action in three games, starting two, but was placed on injured reserve in November with a hamstring injury. Over five years, Ojulari has accumulated 22 sacks and 38 quarterback hits.
- According to ESPN Senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter, the Atlanta Falcons plan to sign defensive lineman Chris Williams to a one-year deal. The 27-year-old was an undrafted free agent coming out of Wagner in 2020. He originally signed to the Indianapolis Colts practice squad. In the years since, he spent time on the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad as well as Kevin Stefanski's 2023 Cleveland Browns practice squad. In 2024, the Chicago Bears — who Ian Cunningham was with at the time — traded a sixth-round pick to the Browns for Williams and a seventh-round pick. Over the last two seasons in Chicago, Williams accumulated four sacks, 37 total tackles (four for a loss) and nine quarterback hits.
- According to ESPN Senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter, the Atlanta Falcons plan to sign 25-year-old linebacker Channing Tindall. A third-round draft pick by the Miami Dolphins in the 2022 NFL Draft, the former Georgia Bulldog has played 51 games during his four-year career. Tindall played for three seasons in Miami before spending the 2025 season with the Arizona Cardinals. He was a core special teams player for both teams, playing more than 50% of the snaps on special teams in each of the last three seasons.
Monday, March 9
- According to ESPN Senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter, the Atlanta Falcons plan to sign defensive end Cameron Thomas. The 26-year-old is a former third-round pick, selected by the Arizona Cardinals 87th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. Most recently, Thomas spent time with the Cleveland Browns, making 22 game appearances after being claimed off waivers in November 2024. He accumulated 3.5 sacks during that time with 39 total tackles, five for a loss and eight quarterback hits.
- According to ESPN Senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter, the Atlanta Falcons plan to sign wide receiver Jahan Dotson. The 25-year-old is a former first-round draft pick, selected by the Washington Commanders 16th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. He started 26 games for the Commanders before getting traded to the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2024 offseason. In four seasons, Dotson has played in 63 games with 42 starts. He has 121 catches for 1,519 yards and 12 touchdowns during that time.
- According to NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero, the Atlanta Falcons plan to sign kicker Nick Folk. The 41-year-old veteran has played in the NFL for 18 seasons and has scored the 16th-most points in league history. Folk was most recently with the New York Jets in 2025 and made 96.6% of his field goal attempts, which was the best rate in the NFL. The former sixth-round draft pick has converted 85 percent of his field goal attempts and 96.9% of his extra-point attempts. The Falcons started three different kickers during the 2025 season.
- According to ESPN Senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter, the Atlanta Falcons plan to sign punter Jake Bailey. An All-Pro player in 2020 for the New England Patriots, Bailey has played seven seasons in the NFL. He was drafted by the Patriots in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft and spent four years in New England before signing with the Miami Dolphins as a free agent in 2023. In three seasons with the Dolphins, Bailey averaged 46.9 yards per punt.
- According to NFL Network Lead Insider Ian Rapoport, the Atlanta Falcons plan to sign free agent tight end Austin Hooper. The Falcons drafted Hooper in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft, and he became a key part of the offense during his four seasons with the team. Hooper played in 59 games for Atlanta with 28 starts. He caught 214 passes for 2,244 yards and 16 touchdowns. As a rookie, Hooper caught a touchdown pass in the 2017 Super Bowl against New England. Hooper also previously played for Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski as a member of the Cleveland Browns during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He caught 84 passes for 780 yards and seven touchdowns with the Browns.
- According to NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero, the Atlanta Falcons plan to sign wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus. It's a reunion for the two parties as Zaccheaus spent the first four years of his career in Atlanta after joining the Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2019. The first catch Zaccheaus had in the NFL resulted in a 93-yard score, which was the longest touchdown pass of Matt Ryan's career.
Falcons free agents signing elsewhere
- According to ESPN Senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter, former Atlanta Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier plans to sign with the Arizona Cardinals. A fifth-round draft pick by the Falcons in the 2022 NFL Draft, Allgeier gained 2,876 rushing yards and scored 18 touchdowns for Atlanta.
- According to ESPN Senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter, former Atlanta Falcons kicker Zane Gonzalez plans to sign with the Miami Dolphins. Gonzalez played in nine games for the Falcons in 2025. He made 19 of his 22 field goal attempts, including game-winning kicks against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Rams.
- According to NFL Network Lead Insider Ian Rapoport, former Atlanta Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss plans to sign with the New Orleans Saints. Elliss started every game for Atlanta during the last three seasons, recording 380 tackles, 12.5 sacks and 12 pass defenses during that time. He was drafted by the Saints in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL Draft and spent the first four seasons of his career in New Orleans.
