According to Adam Schefter, former Atlanta Falcons linebacker Arnold Ebiketie is signing with the Philadelphia Eagles on a one-year, $7.3 million max deal, which includes $4.3 million guaranteed.
Arnold Ebiketie was a 2022 second-round draft pick by the Atlanta Falcons, and he’s posted strong numbers in the past three seasons, and has shown the ability to get to the quarterback. The Falcons continue to completely revamp its roster under new GM Ian Cunningham, but it was going to be hard for Atlanta to retain Arnold Ebiketie.
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Arnold Ebiketie Signing with Eagles
GettyArnold Ebiketie will become a free agent
The Eagles are getting a linebacker that can rush the quarterback at an efficient rate, and Arnold Ebiketie is still just 27-years-old.
Over four seasons with the Falcons, Arnold Ebiketie has started 12 of the 67 games he’s played. He has 16.5 career sacks, including 14 in the last three seasons. Ebiketie also has 129 total tackles in his NFL career. The 6-foot-2, 250-pound linebacker from Cameroon played his collegiate football at Penn State and Temple.
In 2024, Ebiketie led the Falcons roster with six sacks. That was before the team drafted James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker. Inevitably, since Arnold Ebiketie didn’t see as many snaps, his sack count in 2025 was just two, which is likely why the Falcons did not want to pay him.
Arnold Ebiketie’s story about how he became a football player is fascinating, and he has always been a fan favorite in Atlanta.
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Arnold Ebiketie’s Journey to the NFL
This is Arnold Ebiketie’s bio, courtesy of NFL.com, which highlights his journey to the NFL:
The native of Cameroon did not start playing football until his sophomore year in high school. When he was 12 years old, his family moved to Maryland, where he played soccer and basketball before hopping on the gridiron. Temple signed him out of Albert Einstein High School and Ebiketie played in six games as a redshirt freshman (four tackles) and 12 games off the bench the following year (13 tackles, two sacks)
In other Falcons news: Atlanta continues to revamp its defense and overall roster in NFL free agency. The team signed Samson Ebukah on Thursday and has reached deals with several players on the defensive side of the ball, while losing guys like Kaden Elliss.
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Falcons’ Second-Round Draft Pick Signs with Eagles on $7.3 Million Max Deal