Jarrett was selected in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft, and he has become a staple in Atlanta during the decade since. His contributions — both on and off the field — surpass what a team should expect from a Day 3 pick, and it’s part of the reason Atlanta’s 2024 Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee is valued so highly by the organization.
However, the 2024 season was a relatively down year by Jarrett’s standards. After working back from a torn ACL sustained in 2023, Jarrett started all 17 games but recorded just 2.5 sacks and 12 quarterback hits. His 18 pressures were the second fewest in a full season for Jarrett since 2018.
And yet, Jarrett’s value as a leader in the locker room, on the practice field and in the trenches on game day is not so easy to quantify. It might be more important, though.
“It’s not just about exactly what you’re doing on the field,” Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said Tuesday. “It’s everything, even when we’re talking about these college players, you know, that’s why we’re spending time meeting with them, because it’s not the film is important, but also who the player is and the makeup. All those things are really important.”
The defense, and the defensive line in particular, is expected to be a focus for Atlanta this offseason. The Falcons are set to lose veteran edge players Lorenzo Carter and Matthew Judon, among others, and they have draft picks like Ruke Orhorhoro and Brandon Dorlus waiting in the wings on the interior. As their defensive front comes under the microscope, do the Falcons view this as the right time to turn the page? If they do, are they risking the development of those young players by moving on from such a respected mentor?
“You can’t really put a value on what that guy is,” Morris said. “Those are kind of players that you talk about, that are guys that we play with. Those are guys that we want to mold. Those are guys that we want to shape people to be like. Those are leaders within our program that they bring about, really, the best of the best version of us.”
Those are the real conversations the organization is having at this point and time. There are alternative options, of course. This isn’t a binary question.
Atlanta could extend Jarrett’s contract, keeping him in the fold while potentially reducing his cap hit for this year. That may allow for more financial flexibility this offseason while maintaining his presence in…
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