Getty Kevin King is returning to football after last playing in 2021.
In one of the most surprising moves of the offseason, former Green Bay Packers cornerback Kevin King is making his NFL comeback.
According to Ari Meirov with The 33rd Team, King is signing a deal with the Atlanta Falcons. The former Packers cornerback has been away from the league since 2021, but is finding another opportunity in Atlanta.
Meirov posted the news to X on Monday, April 8.
Atlanta made the news official via X.
The move is an interesting one for the Falcons, who give King another chance at proving himself in the NFL. While contract details weren’t immediately available, the assumed deal would be at or near the league minimum on a short-term contract.
Kevin King’s Path Back to the NFL
It has been a long road for King to get back to the NFL, but he now has his opportunity to play again.
King was a second-round pick by the Packers in the 2017 NFL Draft out of Washington. He was an exciting prospect thanks to his size at 6’3″ and natural ball skills for the Huskies, and it didn’t take long for him to crack the starting lineup.
Unfortunately, King was remembered more for being drafted ahead of T.J. Watt than his play on the field. His most memorable moments in the eyes of Packers fans were negative ones, including a disappointing NFC Championship Game performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
King sat out the 2022 season, but eventually opened up in May of 2023 to outline why he had been away from football for so long. In an emotional video, King explained that he had suffered a torn Achilles tendon while trying to get himself into shape for the chance at another NFL training camp.
At just 28 years old, King should still be able to compete if fully healthy, and now he’s finally getting his chance to prove what he’s capable of again after a two-year absence from the NFL.
A Logical Connection to Atlanta
The Falcons may seem like a strange choice of a team for King to sign with, but there’s likely a valid reason why he’s heading to Atlanta.
During his time with the Packers, King worked closely with Jerry Gray, who worked with the team as a defensive backs coach from 2020 through 2022. Now, Gray works as the assistant head coach for the Falcons alongside new head coach Raheem Morris.
Given their relationship working together in Green Bay, it would make sense that Gray would vouch for King to give him another opportunity in the NFL.
There’s an actual chance that King could make Atlanta’s final 53-man roster after training camp. Outside of star cornerback A.J. Terrell, the Falcons have few options at the position that can be considered long-term starters. Clark Phillips III was a fourth-round pick out of Utah in last year’s draft, but only saw action in 11 games this past season.
There are only two other outside cornerbacks currently on Atlanta’s depth chart. If King is back in playing shape and can stay healthy through training camp, his size and length might help him secure a spot on the team’s roster for Week 1.