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It seems that the Falcons will not be re-signing guard Zane Beadles.
Well, nobody will be re-signing Beadles. On Monday, he announced he will retire after nine years in the league.
After 9 years in the NFL, many things led to me deciding retirement from this profession was my next step. I look back on my time with gratitude for the amazing experiences this game provided and the amazing people I met that made me a better man.
— Zane Beadles (@zanebeadles) June 10, 2019
The news isn’t going to affect the Falcons in any major, major way, especially after the team selected Chris Lindstrom with the No. 14 overall pick and brought in Jamon Brown and James Carpenter in free agency.
For the league, it’s a farewell to one of the better guards of the early decade who just couldn’t ever quite live up to the burden placed on earning a major contract extension.
Beadles was a mauler in Denver and helped those early Peyton Manning/Broncos offenses find their potency. He left for a major windfall in Jacksonville soon after that, but took on journeyman status when the cap hit didn’t meet on-field production.
In Atlanta, he did a decent job filling in at tackle and guard later in the season when the team chose to tinker with its OL. Him returning wouldn’t have been a surprise or an issue, which would also have applied to him not returning. He was a good depth guy who could start and play decently when you needed him, and y’know, there’s value in a player like that.
Football is only a small part of the grander scheme, so we wish Beadles all the best as he pursues a new mode in life. He was a pretty good Falcon when the team needed him last fall, so we tip our hat and send him off with good salutations for the future.