Falcons bring back OLB Lorenzo Carter

UPDATE: The details of the Atlanta Falcons’ contract with Lorenzo Carter have been reported by WSB’s Zach Klein:

Carter’s deal is for 2-years, $9M with $5.25M guaranteed. The contract can be worth up to $10M with incentives. So, the Falcons re-sign one of their core starters in the front-seven for just $4.5M/year—a very reasonable number. Our original story follows.

Free agency is right around the corner, but Lorenzo Carter isn’t going anywhere. The Falcons will reportedly re-sign their productive outside linebacker to a two-year contract, keeping a player who was steady on defense and occasionally brilliant on special teams in the fold.

That news comes to us from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, and the team’s announcement and the terms of the deal should be fairly close behind.

It’s a logical move. Carter played over 80% of the defensive snaps last year, posting 4 sacks and playing all-around solid football. That sack total was the second-highest on the team, and Carter missed just 1.7% of his tackle attempts, did a nice job of limiting the damage in coverage, and was one of the team’s more consistent defenders against the run. Throw in an interception return for a touchdown and a recovered punt that Carter turned into a score and you have a fine season, one where Carter out-performed his meager one-year deal.

In 2023 with significant additions looming, Carter may take on a smaller role, but he should still be an effective rotational piece, one showed he can be impactful on special teams as well. Given that he’s just 27 years old and showed he can be a durable and dependable starter in 2022, this two-year deal will likely go quite well for both team and player.

Welcome back to Lorenzo Carter, and may he be a contributor on a much-improved defense this season.