Report: William Moore Wants To Test The Free Agent Market

The Falcons have a handful of big-name free agents this off-season. Arguably the biggest is William Moore, and I had hoped the team would re-sign him with a minimum of fuss.

If this report from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch is any indication, we'll be getting a little fuss. It sounds like Moore is interested in at least exploring the open market, and if this article's semi-wild speculation can be trusted, the Rams might be interested. Moore's interest in being a bonafide free agent, if legitimate, certainly clouds the picture here.

This does not tell us that Moore wants out of Atlanta. Far from it. It just means he wants to understand his value, see if he can land a bigger payday than with the Falcons and oh God don't leave us! The Falcons could take a swing at someone like George Wilson or Jairus Byrd, yes, but Moore's been successful in Atlanta and the chances of getting an upgrade on him are slim to none. Even with the injury history.

The Falcons aren't likely to let him get there, ultimately. The team found a lot of uses for Moore in 2012, and he remains one of the team's premier ballhawks and big hitters. If the Falcons have to put the franchise tag on him, I suspect they will, given the relatively modest cap hit for that position.

Your thoughts?