Foyesade Oluokun is one of the most important pending free agents the Atlanta Falcons have to deal with this offseason. The active linebacker has developed into a key member of the front seven and the signal-caller for defensive coordinator Dean Pees’ scheme.
Oluokun took his game up a notch in 2021, Pees’ first season calling the defense. It ended with Oluokun leading the NFL in tackles.
His performances are sure to have gained the four-year pro a considerable market. The Falcons would have struggled to retain Oluokun before recent developments gave the team more room under the salary cap.
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The extra funds appear to be helping because the Falcons have reportedly “made progress” in their attempts to re-sign Oluokun, according to one NFL insider.
Talks Going Well
Talks have already taken place between the Falcons and Oluokun’s reps. Those conversations have been productive, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler: “Atlanta has made progress in efforts to extend linebacker Foyesade Oluokun, who is one of the biggest risers in free agency. The Falcons are pushing to re-sign him before Wednesday, and he should cost well above $10 million per year.”
It’s a positive development for a Falcons defense that needs to retain its core players. There aren’t many of those on a unit that surrendered 459 points and 6,194 yards last season.
Oluokun qualifies, though, having proved himself as a capable three-down defender. He was rarely off the field and made plays to wreck both phases of offenses.
As well as his league-leading 192 tackles, Oluokun also notched a pair of sacks, broke up six passes and intercepted three others. One of his picks sealed a 20-16 win over the Detroit Lions in Week 16:
📺: FOX | @foyelicious
Plays like this prove Oluokun is a clutch performer. He’s also part of a core of gifted playmakers on Pees’ defense, along with nose tackle Grady Jarrett and shutdown cover man A.J. Terrell.
Keeping Oluokun is the exact type move the Falcons should make with their extra cap space.
Falcons Have Room to Keep Building Blocks
The Falcons were set to enter free agency over the cap. Instead, restructuring the contract of quarterback Matt Ryan saved the franchise $12 million, per Spotrac.
Ryan’s contract was reworked in the aftermath of wide receiver Calvin Ridley being suspended for violating the league’s gambling policy. This disciplinary action took $11.1 million off the Falcons’ cap tally this year.
The upshot is the Falcons now have $16,057,973 worth of room. In other words, more than enough to bring Oluokun back on a contract worth in excess of the $10 million fee Fowler mentioned.
It’s quite the achievement for a player who had to wait until the sixth round to hear the Falcons call his name in the 2018 NFL Draft. Scott Pioli was in the Falcons’ front office at the time, and the team’s former assistant general manager recently talked to NFL Network’s MJ Acosta-Ruiz about how Oluokun can do “anything and everything:”
Keeping Oluokun ensures Pees will able to trust the same player to quarterback his defense this year. It also means Fontenot can focus on improving a drab pass rush that needs help on both edges and along the interior. There might even be enough funds left over to reinforce the secondary around Terrell.
Falcons Have ‘Made Progress’ Toward Re-Signing Key Free Agent