Why the Falcons released Grady Jarrett and how it will affect the locker room

New York Times

11-03-2025

The Atlanta Falcons' locker room won't be the same in 2025. For starters, it will smell different.
Obviously, that's not the most important impact of Grady Jarrett's release Monday, but it's a good starting point to explain why the move is such a significant decision for the organization. Jarrett is a 10-year veteran at defensive tackle, and that resume takes a toll on a body. That's why every day, the smell of Icy Hot filled the Falcons' locker room just before practice began as the 31-year-old slathered his tree-trunk legs in the pain-relieving ointment.
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Jarrett, a two-time Pro Bowler who grew up just outside Atlanta, played in 157 games for the Falcons, starting 142 of them. He had 39 1/2 sacks, including three in a Super Bowl LI performance that should be commemorated on a plaque somewhere in the Falcons building, but, like so many other nice things, was washed away by the 28-3 game. Only nine Atlanta players have notched more sacks for the franchise. He hit the opposing quarterback 134 times, which is the franchise record.
By any measure, it was a notable decade. Given the expectations for him when he was selected in the fifth round of the 2015 draft out of Clemson, it was a remarkable one. Along with what he did on the field, Jarrett was just as impactful off the field through his Grady Gives foundation. He was Atlanta's Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee twice, including last season, and a favorite of team owner Arthur Blank, who released a statement Monday after his release.
'Over the past decade, Grady has exemplified true professionalism, leadership and humility while representing both the Falcons and the city of Atlanta,' the statement read in part. 'It has been an honor to witness Grady's growth — not only as a team captain and Pro Bowl player on the field but also as a remarkable individual and family man off the field. Beyond his exceptional skills as a football player, Grady stands as a role model, consistently showing resilience in the face of adversity. His impact reaches far beyond the game — his tenacity and love for those around him have inspired not only me but teammates, staff and generations of Falcons fans alike. … In this business, we are often faced with difficult decisions, and this one is no exception. On behalf of myself, the entire Falcons organization and the city of Atlanta, we honor and thank Grady for his incredible contributions both on and off the field. Grady will forever be part of our Falcons family, and we will always be here supporting him and wishing him the very best.'
What a ride it's been, @GradyJarrett pic.twitter.com/ZANqkIrMdW
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) March 10, 2025
For Blank, the sting of Jarrett's release had to be second only to the one he felt after the trade of quarterback Matt Ryan in 2022. Just as Ryan was the face of the franchise on offense, Jarrett was that on defense, which is why the decision to release him wasn't an easy one for the Falcons, despite the sizable salary-cap savings.
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The reason that smell of Icy Hot wafted through Atlanta's cavernous new locker room in 2024 was that his locker sat right in the middle of it, along the path virtually every player on the team walked to get to the practice field. That was not accidental. Jarrett was the player who all three Falcons coaching staffs he played for pointed teammates toward as an example of the proverbial 'how we do things around here.'
'You can't say enough positive things about the ethos of Grady Jarrett,' Falcons coach Raheem Morris said last month at the NFL combine. 'He is what a Falcon is. You can't really put a value on what Grady does. Those are the kind of players that we want to shape people to be like. Those are leaders in our program that bring out the best version of us.'
What Morris didn't say then was that Jarrett was untouchable, which now feels like a foreshadowing of Monday's news.
'Obviously business comes first,' the coach said. 'It's about our ethos, but you have to do what is best for the Falcons at all times.'
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Jarrett was set to be playing on the final year of a three-year extension he signed in 2022 and making $20.3 million in 2025. The Falcons tried to retain him on a restructured deal, but the two sides failed to find common ground, leading to Monday's decision to release him, according to a league source.
The Chicago Bears didn't let Jarrett sit on the open market for long, agreeing to terms on a three-year deal worth up to $43.5 million, $28.5 million of which is guaranteed, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. For Atlanta, the move freed up $16.3 million for a team that entered the weekend over the salary cap but had already freed up some space by giving left tackle Jake Matthews a two-year contract extension worth up to $45 million Sunday.
Atlanta will have nearly $17 million in cap space once Matthews' contract extension is processed, but it didn't commit any of that money on Monday. While several other teams started getting deals done on the first day of the negotiation period, the Falcons only saw players going out the door.
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Drew Dalman, a three-year starter center, agreed to terms on a three-year deal with the Bears worth up to $42 million. The move, which seems to clear the way for Ryan Neuzil to take over the center job for the Falcons, was not inconsequential but was overshadowed by the Jarrett move.
The move to release Jarrett turns a spotlight on young defensive linemen Ruke Orhorhoro and Brandon Dorlus. The Falcons drafted Orhorhoro and Dorlus, in the second and fourth rounds, respectively, last year to be ready for a changing of the guard at an aging position. The three defensive tackles who played the highest percentage of snaps for Atlanta last season — Jarrett, David Onyemata and Eddie Goldman — are going to be at least 31 years old this fall. Meanwhile, Orhorhoro and Dorlus played 167 snaps combined. The Falcons now will learn whether those were good selections or not.
Jarrett started 17 games for Atlanta last year in his first season back since a season-ending ACL injury suffered in Week 8 of 2023. He had his second-most impactful season since his 2020 Pro Bowl year, according to Pro Football Reference's approximate value charting, but he had only 2 1/2 sacks and 12 quarterback hits (his fewest in a full season since 2013).
He was clearly not the player he was during his breakthrough 2019 and 2020 seasons, but there were still flashes of that player at times. Those flashes might be more frequent in the upcoming season because he'll be two years removed from his injury, but the Falcons are betting they will be less frequent because he'll be 32 when the season begins.
'It's not just about exactly what you're doing on the field. It's everything,' general manager Terry Fontenot said in February while discussing Jarrett. 'Ultimately, we have to do what is right for the Atlanta Falcons and make the best decisions based on what is going to help us win football games, but with any player we are going to look at what they're doing on the field, how they fit into the locker room, all of those areas.'
In all of those areas, the Falcons are going to miss Grady Jarrett.