Atlanta Falcons Announce Team Captains for 2025 Season

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga – The Atlanta Falcons have officially elected its team captains on Monday ahead of the 2025 NFL season. 

Left tackle Jake Matthews, right guard Chris Lindstrom, and safety Jessie Bates III will return as captain again this season. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr, linebacker Kaden Elliss, and punter Bradley Pinion will also hold the honor for the first time as Falcons. 

Matthews is entering 12th professional season this fall, all with the Falcons. Since being drafted by the team in 2014, the left tackle has been a cornerstone for the franchise. He has started a franchise record 179-straight games (longest active stretch in the NFL). 

2025 will mark the fifth straight season that he will be named a team captain. 

Bates will be a team captain for the third time since joining the Falcons via free agency in 2023. Since then, he has started all 34 games with 234 tackles, 10 interceptions, seven forced fumbles, and two defensive touchdowns. In 2024, he was the only player in the league to have four forced fumbles and four interceptions.

Lindstrom will be named a captain for the second time as a Falcon, with his last time coming in 2023. The right guard has started in 88 games since being drafted by the team in 2019. The 2024 season marked his third-straight AP All-Pro and Pro-Bowl nod. 

Penix, a first-year starter in 2025, is a captain for the first time this season. Expectations for the former eighth overall pick are sky-high, but his teammates clearly have enough faith in him to elect him a team captain. 

Elliss has taken over a leadership role for this Falcons defense, especially in the wake of Grady Jarrett’s departure this offseason. Statistically, he has been a force for the franchise since coming from New Orleans in 2023. He has 273 tackles, nine sacks, six passes defended, an interception, and a forced fumble. In 2024, he became the only player in team history to have totaled 100-or-more tackles, five-or-more sacks, and an interception in a single season (2024).

Pinion is entering his fourth season with the Falcons. He has appeared in 162 games over ten seasons with the 49ers, Buccaneers and Falcons and averaged 44.5 yards per punt (39.9 net average) on 686 punts, including 237 inside the 20-yard line.

According to Tori McElhaney, the team will wear patches on their uniforms that will designate their years they have served as captains for the Falcons. 

The Falcons kick off their season on Sunday with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers coming to play at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for Week 1 action.