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Dontari Poe appears to have one foot out the door. The Falcons indicated they likely won’t be re-signing Poe, who is coming off a healthy, successful season in Atlanta that will probably earn him a lucrative long-term deal, and Atlanta and their limited cap space probably aren’t going to be the team to keep him around.
That said, Poe doesn’t appear to have completely closed the door on the possibility, meaning if his market doesn’t develop as anticipated, there may be a slim chance he returns. The Falcons know that it’s extremely unlikely Poe gets through free agency without getting some big money, multi-year deals from teams like the Colts, who have already been linked to him. If a miracle happens, heck yes I’d take him back.
Dontari Poe on possibly returning to the @AtlantaFalcons "- I don't know, I'm leaving all doors open, I had a lot of fun down there (Atlanta). If I do that'll be a great thing, if I don't I appreciate what they did for me. I appreciate DQ (Dan Quinn.)" @PoeMans_dream pic.twitter.com/4sEuTkscxZ
— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) March 9, 2018
If Poe is probably out the door, though, he made some interesting comments that suggest the Falcons could lure in a quality veteran defensive lineman or two, if they want to. Dan Quinn has long been a defensive coach and especially a defensive line coach, and per Poe, he’s never lost his passion for that work in particular.
Dontari Poe talks up his coach Dan Quinn: DQ would sit in our D-Line meetings during the week and he was into it. There are not many dudes that you can go up to and talk to like you did with him and I appreciated that @AtlantaFalcons@FalconsDQ @PoeMans_dream pic.twitter.com/wVtBTtwFSS
— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) March 9, 2018
Money and an opportunity to win talks, and the Falcons can provide a lot more of one of those (hopefully) than the other. But if you do have enough cash on hand and a good football team, and your head coach just so happens to be one of the better players’ coaches in the NFL and a man genuinely interested in your craft. It’s a small thing, in the grand scheme of things, but it might give a player considering Atlanta one more thing to think about, and it still speaks volumes Quinn’s strengths as a coach.