Veteran Falcons defensive end Adrian Clayborn will miss the remainder of the playoffs after suffering a torn biceps, his agent confirmed in a Twitter post on Sunday.
Clayborn suffered the injury during the Falcons’ 36-20 victory over the Seahawks in an NFC divisional playoff game on Saturday.
"I feel absolutely terrible for my man @AJaClay," agent Blake Baratz wrote in a post to his Twitter account. "Keep your head up. You were a huge part of this success. I'm so proud of you Adrian."
The Falcons advanced to Sunday’s NFC championship game to face the winner of today’s divisional game between the Cowboys and Packers.
Clayborn, 28, recorded five sacks over 13 games during the regular season. He missed three games because of a knee injury, returned to play the final two regular-season games and played three snaps against the Seahawks before the biceps injury forced him to leave the game for good.
The Falcons were able to generate an effective pass rush against Seattle without Clayborn as six different players recorded a sack or hit against quarterback Russell Wilson. But Clayborn is a key member of a pass-rushing group that often uses stunts to create pressure.
The Buccaneers selected Clayborn with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2011 draft out of Iowa. He played 36 games over four seasons with the Buccaneers with just three games played in 2012 and one in 2015 because of injuries.
After Clayborn played 16 games for the Falcons in 2015 they re-signed him to a two-year contract with a $2.5 million signing bonus and a base salary of $1.75 million in 2016. Clayborn’s base salary is $3.75 million for 2017 with a $500,00 roster bonus due in March.
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