Hodge, 31, joined Atlanta in 2022 as a less-than-heralded addition to their special teams and quickly made himself a fan favorite. One of the most reliable performers on Marquice Williams' units, Hodge was among the team leaders in special teams tackles every season and was a force for good in coverage, ultimately earning Pro Bowl recognition for his work in 2024.
It's the heart of the offseason, with a couple more weeks left until free agency kicks off. That makes it a prime time to dive into the history of the Atlanta Falcons and, of course, argue about it. Today, we're going to kick off a series of articles and votes for the Falcons all-century team. We'll go position-by-position, one to two a day, and try to come up with a starting lineup and direct backups who should be considered the best of the best for the Falcons from 2000-2025.
The Falcons' challenge will be their need to evaluate Penix for another year to see whether he's their long-term answer at quarterback. Complications arise since Penix is coming off another season-ending knee injury, which makes it unlikely that he'll hit the ground running whenever he gets back on the field. The injury means he'll spend his offseason rehabbing rather than taking the critical reps he needs in practice to improve.
It's rare for a Super Bowl matchup to feature two teams who were not expected to make the playoffs ahead of the season. For that to happen should inspire hope for many teams that are either rebuilding or at a crossroads as an organization. The Falcons don't fall into either category, yet they can learn from how the Patriots went from rebuild mode to beating the AFC's top teams.
I'm forever going to stand 10 toes and show why my God is Almighty and will never put me in a situation that I can't get through. Wherever you at right now in my story, STAY THERE! I never needed motivation or a pat on the back! All I ever needed was an opportunity and as long as I got breath I got that! The turtle race continues.
I'm forever going to stand 10 toes and show why my God is Almighty and will never put me in a situation that I can't get through. Wherever you at right now in my story, STAY THERE! I never needed motivation or a pat on the back! All I ever needed was an opportunity and as long as I got breath I got that! The turtle race continues.
New general manager Ian Cunningham is stepping into a less-than-ideal situation in Atlanta. On one hand, he has some terrific pieces on both sides of the ball, a reasonable amount of cap space, and a fanbase that knows that 2026 is not a year where we're going to place outsized expectations after eight straight losing seasons. On the other hand, it's a roster with a ton of holes, some very expensive commitments, and a thorny quarterback situation.
They sought to gain the personnel genius of the Patriots, the free agency and cap wizardry of the Saints (blech), and the defensive mastery of the Seahawks and offensive excellence of the Titans.
The decision to trade for Michael Jerrell felt like throwing a water balloon on a house fire at the time, and that's essentially what it was. Jerrell was a healthy scratch nearly the entire season, minus one game against the Bills. According to PFF, he was the worst-performing Falcons offensive lineman this season, by at least 40 points. These grading systems are subjective, but that's a pretty wide margin.
