The first day of NFL free agency meant different things across the NFC South, with the Falcons among the busiest of spenders, the Panthers upgrading their defense and the cap-strapped Saints taking losses from theirs. Even the Bucs got to make a key signing as the division continues to make a splash.
Outside signings can’t take place until Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET, but Atlanta got started with a flurry of moves, landing a top safety in Jessie Bates, locking up Pro Bowl guard Chris Lindstrom, trading for Patriots tight end Jonnu Smith and signing defensive tackle David Onyemata away from the Saints. New Orleans lost another key piece of its defensive front when defensive tackle Shy Tuttle signed with the Panthers, who also added safety Vonn Bell.
Even the Bucs, expected to have a quiet day with limited cap space, were able to keep their top free agent, giving cornerback Jamel Dean a four-year, $52 million contract with $26 million guaranteed.
Atlanta owned the day Monday, committing to about $230 million in new contracts, starting with Lindstrom, the 2019 first-round pick who made his first Pro Bowl last year and will play the upcoming season on his fifth-year option. Lindstrom will reportedly get $105 million over five years, making him the highest-paid guard in the NFL and keeping him under contract through the 2028 season.
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Bates, 26, was considered the top safety in this free-agent class, coming off a season with four interceptions, giving him 14 in his five years in Cincinnati. He’s getting $64 million over four years for an average of $16 million a year. He was ranked by FOX Sports as the No. 7 available free agent at any position in this class.
In trading for Smith, the Falcons reunited the Patriots tight end with Falcons head coach Arthur Smith, who was his position coach with the Titans in 2017-18 and then his offensive coordinator in 2019-20. Smith had eight touchdown catches in 2020, landing him a big contract with New England, but he mustered only 55 catches and one touchdown in two years with the Patriots. The Falcons are sending a seventh-round pick to acquire Smith, who was to make $23 million over the next two years under his current contract.
The Falcons also got a key defensive piece for new defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen, signing Onyemata, one of the Saints’ top free agents. The 30-year-old started every game for New Orleans last year, finishing with five sacks to give him 23 over the past six years. The deal is reportedly for $35 million over three years, including $24 million guaranteed. Atlanta also re-signed two of its own free agents in punter Bradley Pinion and fullback Keith Smith.
The Falcons began the day with $65 million in cap space, second-most of any NFL team, and should still have about $20 million, depending how their deals are framed.
Carolina, which traded up to acquire the No. 1 pick in next month’s draft last week, added two pieces to Ejiro Evero’s new defense, signing Tuttle away from the Saints and also getting safety Vonn Bell, who had four interceptions for the Bengals last year. The 27-year-old Tuttle, who started 14 games last season and finished with 49 tackles and two sacks, will reportedly get $19.5 million over three years. Bell, who played his first four NFL seasons in the division with the Saints, adds a veteran presence to the Panthers’ back end. The Panthers also tendered a $2.63-million, one-year deal to restricted free agent Sam Franklin, who led them with 13 special-teams tackles last season.
Neither the Saints nor the Bucs had any signings in the first four hours of free agency. New Orleans was still restructuring contracts to get under the cap before Wednesday’s deadline.
Dean was seen as one of the top free agents at any position, but the Bucs were able to bring him back to pair with Carlton Davis as anchors of their pass defense. If they can’t re-sign linebacker Lavonte David, their next priority is adding a veteran quarterback to compete with Kyle Trask, potentially former Browns quarterbacks Baker Mayfield or Jacoby Brissett. The Bucs saw defensive lineman Rakeem Nunez-Roches, a key part of their rotation for the past five years, sign with the Giants. Nunez-Roches, 29, set career highs with 33 tackles and two sacks last season.
Greg Auman is FOX Sports’ NFC South reporter, covering the Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints. He is in his 10th season covering the Bucs and the NFL full-time, having spent time at the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.
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