FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Falcons News Now is your home base for everything happening in and around Flowery Branch, even when the games aren't on the schedule.
The offseason is where Sundays are built, and each week we bring you a clear-eyed look at how the Falcons are shaping the future: roster decisions, contract moves, draft buzz, coaching priorities and the players working to earn their next opportunity.
From front-office strategy and practice intel to emerging storylines and long-term vision, this isn't just a recap of headlines — it's context for what's coming next in Atlanta.
If it matters inside this building, it belongs here.
So if you eat, sleep, and breathe Falcons football, this is your inside edge all year long. Every move, every trend, every storyline, all in one place.
The News, Now
Key developments across the organization, from the front office to the coaching staff and everything in between
The organization welcomed players back to the building earlier this week as Phase I of the voluntary offseason workout programs began Tuesday. Still riding the high of the new uniforms launch, there was still a lot of news to catch up on.
The main news grabber happened on Wednesday, when offensive tackle Kaleb McGary announced his retirement from the league.
McGary was selected with the 31st pick in the 2019 NFL Draft after the Falcons traded back up into the first round to acquire him. Together with guard Chris Lindstrom, who was also selected in the first round of the 2019 draft, McGary solidified the right side of Atlanta's offensive line and helped forge some of the league's best rushing attacks. The Falcons boasted top-10 rushing offenses each year from 2022-25.
McGary played in 93 games with 92 starts for the Falcons across six seasons. He was slated to enter his seventh season as a starter in 2025 but suffered a knee injury on the final day of training camp and missed the full year.
"I truly enjoyed my time playing alongside Kaleb," Atlanta Falcons President of Football Matt Ryan said. "He was an outstanding teammate and had a tremendous career as a Falcon. We are grateful for the impact he made on this organization, and we wish him nothing but the best in retirement."
Already the Falcons have been linked to other available offensive tackles on the free agency market. However, the club has yet to make any reported signing official as of publication of this newsletter.
Speaking of free agency, general manager Ian Cunningham detailed the Falcons' strategy of the first wave. The skinny: Limited draft capital led Atlanta to prioritize free agency in addressing roster needs. It's not where Cunningham wants to live always, but its the reality of the team's situation in 2026.
"Moving forward, you don't want to live in that space," Cunningham said of the Falcons heavy first wave of free agency. "You would like for your draft picks to eventually take the place of those things, but this was a year where we had to attack it this way."
Meanwhile, Cunningham also explained his drafting philosophy beyond his desire for more picks.
"Having been raised in the systems in Baltimore, I am a firm believer in best player available," he said.
We'll get into all the mock draft content later on in this newsletter.
Fan Zone Highlights
Tweets, videos and podcasts you may have missed
In the Nest
Behind-the-scenes stories, locker room insight into team culture
Speaking with local media the day after reporting back to the facility for voluntary work, Bijan Robinson made quite the declarative statement.
"Me being here for now going on my fourth year and me now being a veteran leader to these guys, it's pretty cool. I am pretty excited, even just with how I feel," Robinson said. "They always say, like, (these are) your prime years, but I really feel like this is the best I have felt my whole time being here."
Discussing his goals for the next season, Robinson said his creed remains the same, despite setting the bar higher for himself.
"Last year was a cool year," Robinson admitted, "but this year I want to be even better in all aspects."
"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."
He also expressed excitement for the return of Jeff Ulbrich as defensive coordinator, stating defense is about precision and having continuity at the coordinator spot allows that precision to flourish.
"My first three years, I had a new defense, a whole new defensive scheme," Bates said. "To be able to be in Year 2 in this scheme, I think we can go to a whole other level and continue to build on what we were doing last year with the sack record. Hopefully, this year we can get the interception record."
Offseason Intel
Upcoming important dates and information
The draft is just a couple short weeks away which means we're full tilt towards all things mock draft. Here's a breakdown of everything Tori McElhaney and Will McFadden have done over the last five days in regard to full draft coverage as the weekend looms.
Make sure and follow along to AtlantaFalcons.com for all your draft coverage!
