Falcons tender WR Olamide Zaccheaus

Olamide Zaccheaus is fresh off a career season in Atlanta, one that saw him catch 31 passes for 406 yards and three touchdowns. Given that the Falcons basically have zero proven receivers, that Zaccheaus has the speed to be a problem for defenses at times, and that he’s a quality special teamer, it was fair to assume the team would welcome him back.

That seems to be a fair assumption, because the Falcons placed a right-of-first-refusal tender on him that’s valued at $2.433 million, per Adam Schefter by way of Zaccheaus’ agents. In short, that means the Falcons can match any offer Zaccheaus gets if another team is trying to poach him, which will likely discourage other teams from doing so.

Zaccheaus, who will be 25 during the 2022 season, came to Atlanta as an undrafted free agent back in 2019 and memorably reeled in a 93 yard touchdown pass from Matt Ryan during an otherwise quiet rookie season. In 2020, he carved out a slightly larger role, catching 20 passes for 274 yards and a touchdown, and the new regime found plenty of use for him with Calvin Ridley out and other receiving options struggling. Zaccheaus also handled a few kick and punt returns this past season and was a willing special teams tackler, and Atlanta seems more than content to pay over $2 million to have him continue to provide value as the team’s fourth (or, if the offseason is really quiet, maybe even third) receiver.

There’s still the chance a team could pony up enough cash to lure Zaccheaus away that the Falcons won’t want to match it, but I’m operating under the assumption that this tender will be enough to get him back in Atlanta for the 2022 season. Give him a warm, if tentative, welcome back to the Falcons.