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Mad Dog lets rip at Falcons' front office over Kirk Cousins' injuries (2:05)
Chris "Mad Dog" Russo fumes at the Atlanta Falcons' front office for saying they were unaware of Kirk Cousins' injuries during the season. (2:05)
Marc RaimondiMar 10, 2025, 10:40 AM ET
- Marc Raimondi's first year covering the Falcons was 2024, but it wasn't his first year at ESPN. He joined the company in 2019 and was a top combat sports reporter. He also covered professional wrestling and wrote the book "Say Hello to the Bad Guys: How Pro Wrestling's New World Order Changed America," which was published by Simon & Schuster in 2025. Raimondi also worked for the New York Post and Newsday, beginning in 2009, covering high school and college sports, plus the NFL, NFL, MLB and NHL.
In a somewhat surprising move, the Atlanta Falcons are moving on from defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, one of their franchise players over the past decade.
The Falcons released the two-time Pro Bowler on Monday in a cost-saving move, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter. Jarrett's cap number for 2025 was $20,375,000, and the Falcons save $12,125,000 by releasing him, according to Roster Management System. There was thought to be a possibility of restructuring and extending Jarrett, but Atlanta ended up cutting him outright.
The Falcons attempted to get a new deal done with Jarrett to keep him in Atlanta, per a league source. But ultimately, things ended in a release.
The Falcons came into the offseason over the cap, and an extension agreed to with left tackle Jake Matthews and the shedding of Jarrett's salary will get them under, giving them the ability to be more aggressive over the next few days and beyond. Atlanta has plenty of holes to fill on defense this offseason.
Jarrett, 31, who was drafted by the Falcons in 2015, has been the heart and soul of the team's defense over much of the past 10 years. An Atlanta native, he also has been extremely active in the community and a longtime fan favorite.
Jarrett has 36.5 sacks over his career. After sustaining a torn ACL in Week 8 of the 2023 season, he returned in 2024 and was still a solid player on the interior of the Falcons' line, with 2.5 sacks and 53 total tackles.
