Falcons re-structure Deion Jones contract, free up nearly $7 million in cap space

The Falcons have once again re-structured Deion Jones’ contract, achieving cap space in the here and now and adding multiple void years to the deal. Jones will get his money more quickly and the Falcons will be able to add to the roster

That report comes to us per Field Yates, who tells us the Falcons have turned $8.5 million of Jones’ salary into a bonus, freeing up $6.8 million. That will also add three void years to the deal, a mechanism Terry Fontenot and company used frequently when he was with the Saints.

The benefits of doing this for the Falcons are two-pronged. If they are looking to deal Jones, this might increase interest, given that his contract will only cost an acquiring team a little over $1 million in 2022. Once he’s off injured reserve, Jones might be a more attractive piece for teams dealing with injuries at linebacker and looking to inject an experienced player who once a killer pro into the team for what’s likely to be a relatively cheap cost, both in terms of the contract and in terms of draft compensation. The Falcons, meanwhile, will eat some dead cap the next two years, but will have the space to absorb that, even if it’s not exactly ideal.

The second benefit is that the Falcons now have some money. They came into the year with less cap space than anybody else, which would be fine if their depth was up to snuff. After just one game where the defensive line reserves were largely not impressive and with the team’s stated desire to always keep churning and improving their depth, chances are that money will go to new additions sooner than later.

Jones is currently on injured reserve, so his future with the only team he has ever played for remains cloudy. We’ll see whether he’s returning as a reserve or headed elsewhere within a few weeks, in all likelihood, and either way we’ll hope he’s 100% healthy very soon.