The Atlanta Falcons still have a few offseason moves up their sleeves. The team came just under 10 yards to making the Super Bowl and 2012 and are considering all options that will help them get over the hump and return for 2013 with an even stronger team. After adding several key veteran free agents, they are still considering adding one more, lineman Richard Seymour. While interest is high on Seymour, the Falcons have made Matt Ryan's pending contract extension the priority at this time.
The weekend was fruitful for the Falcons. The team officially got tackle Tyson Clabo's contract off the books, freeing up a large amount of cap space. It was assumed that once the Falcons had a little more money to offer the former Oakland Raider, they would sign him rather quickly. However, nothing has been done to this point to sign Seymour to a contract. He has been in talks with the team, but the Falcons have yet to offer him a deal.
Atlanta is the best possible landing spot for the veteran that was released from the Raiders at the start of free agency. Seymour currently resides in Atlanta and is very familiar with the organization. His son will be attending University of Georgia in the fall and he would likely want to remain in the area. A deal could still happen, but as of now the Falcons are mainly concerned with their quarterback's contract.
If the Falcons can get Ryan signed to an extension quickly, they will free up even more cap space, making a deal with Seymour a lock. General manager Thomas Dimitroff has said he is hoping to get Ryan's deal done prior to training camp. They are looking to avoid a situation similar to the Baltimore Ravens. The team took two seasons to sign Joe Flacco and as a result, cost themselves a large amount of cap space. It prevented the team from retaining several key players.
While the signing of Seymour might not totally be pending on the extension of Ryan's contract, it certainly has taken a backseat to it. Seymour has not gotten a lot of interest from other teams. His best option is to wait until Atlanta has all of their other priorities complete.
