Report: Falcons to tender Taylor Gabriel at 2nd round level

The Falcons got a career year out of Taylor Gabriel, and the explosive wide receiver’s great season helped the Falcons push their way to the Super Bowl. It’s little surprise they’re going to make a strong effort to keep him around.

The second round tender on Gabriel is what I’d expect. An original round tender would leave the Falcons with the very real prospect of losing Gabriel, a former undrafted free agent, for absolutely nothing. A first round tender, meanwhile, would likely be overkill, given that I can’t think of many teams that are going to be willing to surrender a second round selection for a slot receiver, no matter how good Gabriel may be.

One such possibility is San Francisco, which has draft capital and a ton of money to spend in free agency, and is currently helmed by Kyle Shanahan. In all likelihood, though, the Falcons will get Gabriel back with this second round tender and can spend the 2017 season considering whether they’ll want to ink him to a long-term deal. I’ll be thrilled to have him back.