Getty Kevin King after a fumble.
The Atlanta Falcons have signed Kevin King, a former Green Bay Packers second-round pick, according to Terrin Waack, the Falcons’ digital team reporter.
“The Atlanta Falcons signed cornerback Kevin King, the team announced Monday. This transaction marks King’s return to the NFL after two consecutive years away.
“King comes to Atlanta with five active seasons on his professional resume from 2017-21. The Green Bay Packers originally drafted King out of Washington with a second-round pick. After four years on a rookie contract, King and the Packers agreed to terms on a one-year deal in 2021.”
Why Kevin King Hasn’t Played in 2 Seasons
King missed the 2022 season for personal reasons and 2023 due to a torn Achilles tendon he suffered during an offseason workout.
In a video released on his YouTube channel, King spoke about sitting out the 2022 and 2023 seasons, giving fans the exact reason why he wasn’t able to be on the field.
“After my fifth year with the Packers I was actually pretty healthy. It was a time when I felt pretty good for the first time in a while. My first four years I had surgery after every year so I didn’t have much of a chance to have an offseason,” King said. “They don’t really talk about the wear and tear on you mentally that it does, dealing with injuries.”
In the same video, King announced his injury, saying “I knew it” when referring to tearing his Achilles.
Cornerback Was an Area of Need for the Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons signing King allows them to take a chance on a cornerback who could end up being a valuable player for them. King has shown promise in his play, especially his 2019 season, when he started 14 of 15 games and had five interceptions.
The 2021 season, the last time King was on the field, was the worst of his career, He had just one interception and allowed a 71.4% completion percentage on 28 targets. In his five seasons, King made 197 tackles, five tackles for loss, and intercepted seven passes.
King will be reunited with familiar faces with the Falcons. Falcons defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake was King’s secondary coach at Washington. Falcons secondary coach Justin Hood was the Green Bay Packers defensive quality coach during King’s final season.
Waack, in an article released on March 5, viewed the cornerback position as an area the Falcons needed to improve, writing that they needed to find A.J. Terrell a consistent partner.
“The Falcons need to find A.J. Terrell a consistent dance partner at this spot in the secondary. Terrell was the only player to start every game here in 2023. Otherwise, his counterpart began as Jeff Okudah but finished as Clark Phillips III.
“Terrell is a lock in 2024, still under contract. Phillips will also return, but his status as a starter remains in question. Okudah will become a free agent now that his rookie contract is up, with the possibility of re-signing in Atlanta.”
The Falcons haven’t signed any other cornerbacks in free agency, so the need wasn’t addressed until this signing.