INDIANAPOLIS — The negotiations are heating up on several fronts for some of the Falcons’ key defensive players as the team focuses on retaining its own players before free agency starts.
The Falcons, who are projected to have $30.7 million under the salary cap, plan to show “fiscal responsibility.” Free agency starts March 13, but with most of the league’s agents here for their annual NFLPA meeting, talks have heated up in the halls and lobbies of downtown hotels.
Falcons president Rich McKay was set to negotiate with defensive end John Abraham’s agent, Rich Rosa, over the weekend. They have a major gap to close.
Talks to retain middle linebacker Curtis Lofton were termed as “amicable” by general manager Thomas Dimitroff.
The team also is considering whether to place the franchise tag on cornerback Brent Grimes. The Falcons have until March 5 to make that decision.
“Those are high-dollar discussions,” Dimitroff said. “Brent Grimes is a fine football player. We’d like to have him back. We have begun our negotiations with his representatives.”
If the Falcons place the franchise tag on Grimes and he signs it, he would make $10.6 million next season. The number is derived from the average salary of the top five players at Grimes’ position, cornerback.
“You have to take into consideration everything on the table and how you approach the negotiation,” Dimitroff said. “I don’t want to get into the specifics of the negotiations right now, but suffice it to say, it’s one of the things we’ll consider.”
The Falcons would like to retain Abraham, who wants to be paid $12 million per year as one of the top five defensive ends in the league. That demand may force the Falcons to consider other options, which could include trying to sign Indianapolis defensive end Robert Mathis in free agency.
Abraham has 112 career sacks and would have the highest sack total of any player in the league if he plays next season. He’s set to turn 34 in May.
Mathis, an Atlanta native who went to McNair High, has 83.5 career sacks over nine seasons. He turns 31 on Sunday.
“Obviously, we’d like to have John back on our football team,” Dimitroff said. “We believe he’s a fine football player. We are in the process of negotiations with Rich [McKay] and [Abraham’s agent] Rich Rosa on it. They are good discussions. That’s all I’ll comment on right now.”
The Falcons have the 55th overall pick in the draft, but likely will not find a polished pass rushing threat in the second round.
“The edge pass rushers are something that we covet,” Dimitroff said. “They are not always easy to come across. There is a good group of guys that get up the field and turn the corner athletically and burst to the quarterback. We are all searching for that, and they come in all different kind of packages.”
If the team can’t reach a contract extension with Lofton, Akeem Dent, a former Georgia player and Douglass High product, would get a shot at the starting middle linebacker spot.
“Akeem Dent showed this year that he’s got a real firm understanding of [our] defense,” Dimitroff said. “He played very well for us on special teams. He’s a guy in our mind that if he’s put in a situation where he’s going to have to step up and take starter reps, he’s going to be competing for that job like the rest of our linebacker group.
“We would like to have Curtis Lofton back. He’s a fine football player. We are in the process of negotiating with Curtis and his representatives. That’s been an amicable negotiation, and we’ll continue to work on it.”
The team also wants to retain veteran linebacker Mike Peterson, who finished the season on injured reserve with a torn biceps.
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