Richard Seymour was once a lock to sign with the Atlanta Falcons. The team wanted another veteran defensive standout and he fit the bill perfectly. The two sides tried desperately to work out a deal but were never able to agree on terms. While the Falcons have available cap space, they likely did not have enough to give Seymour the contract he wanted. The veteran's future with the team now rides solely on Matt Ryan's pending contract extension.
The Falcons main priority at this point in the offseason is getting an extension worked out with Ryan. They are set to lock in the quarterback to a long-term deal that will fit the trend of being over $100 million. If Ryan is still without an extension come the start of training camp, discussion will be tabled until the end of the season. If Atlanta can get an extension done soon, they will free up cap space and could get Seymour signed to a contract as well.
When the Falcons sign their two remaining draft picks, they will have around $4 million to work with. A contract extension to Ryan would free up even more space, giving Seymour a nice contract to work with. The defensive end is coming off of an injury-plagued season in which he only played in eight games and racked up 15 tackles and three sacks. However, when Seymour is healthy he is good and could be a huge boost to the pass rushing efforts. However, he made $15 million last season and the Falcons would be asking him to take a steep pay cut.
The Falcons are the only team in the hunt for Seymour at this point. With players like John Abraham still remaining on the market, the 33-year old will likely just have to hold out to see what happens with Atlanta. In 12 years in the NFL, the defensive end has been one of the NFL's best. He totaled 496 tackles and 57 sacks while earning seven Pro Bowl trips and three Super Bowl rings. He is exactly the type of player Atlanta wants, but cannot sign at the moment.
Seymour lives in Atlanta so he can expect the team to stay in constant communication with him. Thomas Dimitroff and Ryan are both confident an extension will get worked out, the question will be if it will get done soon enough to sign Seymour.
