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Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Falcons trying to keep Boley as part of nucleus
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Falcons are engaged in contract extension talks with outside linebacker Michael Boley, whose contract expires at the end of the season. Since Boley, who leads Atlanta with 101 tackles, has only three years of NFL service, he would be a restricted free agent if no accord is reached.
That means that the Falcons could match any offer Boley signs with another team. Atlanta likely would place a contract tender on Boley — as it did with Matt Schaub and Demorrio Williams last season — that would result in them receiving draft picks from any team that would want to sign Boley.
The move to reach out to Boley falls in line with team owner Arthur Blank’s pledge that the Falcons would do what they could to retain players they want to be part of their young nucleus. It’s not known if they have any other players they are trying to extend but the defensive building blocks, other than Boley, appear to be John Abraham, Jamaal Anderson, Trey Lewis, and Chris Houston.
Cornerback DeAngelo Hall was on that list before the season. His contract expires after 2008. There were talks before this season about an extension but him and the Falcons seemingly have backed off those desires after some bad feelings developed over the past few months. Whether a bridge can be built is always possible but as of right now, Hall could be traded or kept around for one more season.
Two starting defenders who contracts expire after this season are safety Chris Crocker and outside linebacker Demorrio Williams. The Falcons, at this point, have shown no signs of trying to stop them from hitting the open market.
Veteran DT Rod Coleman, who is on injured reserve, has two years and $8.25 million remaining on his deal. MLB Keith Brooking is owed more than $10 million over the next two seasons. With those hefty price tags, it will be interesting, as the Falcons plan for next season, if both players are retained.
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