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Falcons QB Desmond Ridder Signs Rookie Deal

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Getty Falcons sign QB Desmond Ridder to rookie deal.

Quarterback Desmond Ridder made things officially official with the Atlanta Falcons by signing his rookie deal on Tuesday, July 19.

Per ESPN’s NFL insider, Field Yates, Ridder agreed to terms on a 4-year rookie contract, which has him slated to make $5,362,962 including a $1,080,336 signing bonus.

The Falcons have now signed all eight of their rookies from their 2022 NFL Draft class.

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Ridder Grasping Onto Offense Quickly

As any rookie knows, the transition from the college level to the pro level is difficult––especially for quarterbacks.

But to Ridder’s surprise, it’s been quite a breeze.

“The overall knowledge of the offense – I’m not going to lie, I thought I would come in and struggle a little bit,” Ridder said, via AtlantaFalcons.com. “We’re almost all the way through all of our installs and putting in all those checks, and I have a good grasp of it. That surprised me, honestly. I’m not saying I wouldn’t have picked it up, but I thought it might’ve taken a bit longer, a couple of extra days. I’ve been able to pick up on it pretty smoothly.”

He has even naturally taken well to the leadership aspect, which is important as a quarterback.

“It was just the flow of it, the way my sentences are coming out in the huddle to the command I have at the line of scrimmage, just seeing the defense and seeing the offense,” Ridder said. “Everything just came to me.”

How well Ridder has been catching onto things isn’t going unnoticed. Head coach and offensive guru Arthur Smith, definitely likes what he has seen so far.

“Behind the scenes, the things that he has done, as a rookie, really from the neck up,” Smith said during a press conference on June 15. “How he’s operating, when we’re doing the rookie walk-throughs, when we do these installations and on the field, and his command. Then you’re betting on some of the physical things you see at times to catch up. He’s light years ahead of most young quarterbacks, in terms of playing from the neck up. I will give him that compliment.”

Ridder will spend the rest of the summer competing for the QB1 slot against 8-year veteran Marcus Mariota during training camp and from what it sounds like––he has a legitimate shot to win the job.

Falcons Officially Sign All 8 Rookies

As noted above, Atlanta has now inked all 2022 NFL Draft picks.

Wide receiver Drake London, the Falcons’ first-round draft pick, was the first to sign his four-year, $24.6-million rookie contract on May 12.

From there, fifth-round pick Tyler Allgeier, sixth-round picks guard Justin Shaffer and tight end John FitzPatrick signed their deals prior to the start of rookie minicamp in May. And second-round pick inside linebacker Troy Andersen and third-round pick outside linebacker DeAngelo Malone each signed their contracts on May 25.

Round 1 – Pick 8 (8 overall): Southern California wide receiver Drake London ($24.6 million)

Round 2-Pick 7 (38 overall): Penn State defensive end Arnold Ebiketie ($9.69 million)

Round 2 – Pick 26 (58 overall) from the Tennessee Titans: Montana State linebacker Troy Andersen ($6.49 million)

Round 3 – Pick 10 (74 overall): Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder ($5.36 million)

Round 3 – Pick 18 (82 overall) from the Indianapolis Colts: Western Kentucky outside linebacker DeAngelo Malone ($4.2 million)

Round 5 – Pick 8 (151 overall): BYU running back Tyler Allgeier ($3.99 million)

Round 6 – Pick 11 (190 overall): Georgia guard Justin Shaffer ($3.877 million)

Round 6 – Pick 35 (213 overall): Georgia tight end John FitzPatrick ($3.815 million)

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The Atlanta Falcons have now signed all eight rookies from their 2022 NFL Draft class.