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Kyle Shanahan has still not plumbed the depths of his thievery and depravity, apparently. He’s stealing players from the Falcons!
Earl Mitchell just left Atlanta after visiting the Falcons Friday but getting a four year deal with 49ers.
— vaughn mcclure (@vxmcclure23) February 25, 2017
Mitchell literally was just leaving Atlanta when the contract was announced, so if the Falcons had a real shot at him, it just didn’t happen. It’s safe to assume that San Francisco went higher on their contract offer than the other suitors, or Kyle Shanahan successfully sold on Mitchell on some grand institutional vision, or he just knew he’d be a full-time starter for the 49ers in a way he wouldn’t have been for other teams. It hardly matters, in the final analysis.
Hyperbole aside, not signing Mitchell is not going to make or break this Atlanta offseason, but he would have been a nice piece of the defensive tackle rotation. The Falcons will be combing the free agent market and the draft for at least one legitimate upgrade at defensive tackle, and we will see who that winds up being. I wish Earl Mitchell...something.