3 Atlanta Falcons most likely to have their contracts restructured this spring

1. Jake Matthews is a $21.775 million cap hit for 2024 NFL season

Jake Matthews is not only the longest tenured member of the Falcons, he is also their highest paid player. The former No. 6 overall pick out of Texas A&M in the 2014 NFL Draft is slated to make $21.775 million in each of the next three seasons of his contract. Matthews is a pro's pro, rarely missing games. Although he is on the wrong side of 30, he is still very good at what he does, alright.

That said, he will be 32 years old this year and the Falcons have only made the NFC playoffs twice in his decade-long career with the team. Getting Mathews to agree to a restructure is paramount for Terry Fontenot, as he is the easiest candidate to potentially free some cap space up for. Unlike Grady Jarrett, he is not coming off an injury. Like Chris Lindstrom, he is a former first-round pick by Atlanta.

Ultimately, if Atlanta wants to free up a few million by deferring some money to a potential Ring of Honor member like Matthews, that may be the way to go. What you have to remember is that his Pro Football Hall of Fame father Bruce only played for one franchise in his illustrious career in the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans. It would not shock me if his son does the same thing in Atlanta.

I guess that between Lindstrom, Jarrett and Matthews, Atlanta can free up an addition $10 million.