Falcons Free Agent Lineman 'Deserves to Get Paid': Analyst

The Atlanta Falcons would love to bring back free agent center Drew Dalman this offseason. But there's a potentially big problem -- Dalman could become one of the highest-paid centers in the NFL this offseason.

Pro Football Focus' Bradley Locker included Dalman on his list of the top 10 offensive free agents that deserve the biggest pay raise heading into 2025.

"A top-tier center hitting free agency isn’t as common as one would expect, but Dalman certainly qualifies — and will get rewarded," Locker wrote. "Among centers with 500 or more snaps this year, the former Falcon ranked fourth in PFF overall grade (78.8), rounding that out with top-10 grades as both a pass blocker and a run blocker.

"Over the past two seasons, only four centers have produced a higher PFF overall grade than Dalman (84.8)."

Locker concluded writing that Dalman "could easily become one of the three highest-paid centers" in the league. He would need to have an average annual salary greater than $12.5 million on his next contract to be one of the three highest centers.

Based on PFF's current free agent projections, Dalman won't be far from that mark. PFF predicted Dalman to receive a 4-year, $46 million contract, giving him an average annual salary of $11.5 million.

Other outlets such as The Athletic and Spotrac have yet to project what Dalman will be worth on the open market this spring. But in December Windy City Grid Iron's Jacob Infante predicted the Chicago Bears to sign Dalman to a 3-year, $37 million deal, giving him an AAV of $12.3 million.

Whether Dalman is one of the highest paid centers on an average annual basis could depend on how long of a contract he receives. He's likely to earn more per season if he elects to sign a 3-year deal instead of four years.

The Falcons want Dalman back in any capacity, so the length of the deal probably won't matter to them. But Spotrac has the Falcons ranked with the fifth-least amount of cap space this offseason. As of Jan. 28, the Falcons must cut more than $7 million in salary to move under the cap.

General manager Terry Fontenot, though, is likely to do what he can to retain Dalman. The Athletic's Josh Kendall ranked the center Atlanta's top free agent for this offseason.

"Dalman may have more value in Atlanta than he would have anywhere else in the league simply because of how much value the Falcons put on offensive line consistency," Kendall wrote. "Their other four starting offensive linemen are under contract through 2025 (right tackle Kaleb McGary), 2026 (left guard Matthew Bergeron and left tackle Jake Matthews) and 2028 (right guard Chris Lindstrom).

"He was noncommittal about his future after the season ended but said he has enjoyed his time with the Falcons."