[null, {"document_url": "https://www.profootballrumors.com/matt-bryant", "unformatted_src": "https://cdn.profootballrumors.com/files/2016/05/bryantvert-200x300.jpg", "src": "https://cdn.profootballrumors.com/files/2016/05/bryantvert-200x300.jpg", "formatted_filename": "bryantvert", "rendered_width": 200, "rendered_height": 300}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.profootballrumors.com/matt-bryant", "unformatted_src": "https://cdn.profootballrumors.com/files/2016/05/bryantvert-200x300.jpg", "src": "https://cdn.profootballrumors.com/files/2016/05/bryantvert-200x300.jpg", "formatted_filename": "bryantvert", "alt_text": "Matt Bryant (vertical)", "rendered_width": 200, "rendered_height": 300}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.profootballrumors.com/matt-bryant", "unformatted_src": "https://cdn.profootballrumors.com/files/2016/05/bryantvert-200x300.jpg", "src": "https://cdn.profootballrumors.com/files/2016/05/bryantvert-200x300.jpg", "formatted_filename": "bryantvert", "alt_text": "Matt Bryant (vertical)", "rendered_width": 200, "rendered_height": 300}, null, null]

Matt Bryant

South Rumors: Falcons, Buccaneers, Morgan

October 15th, 2018 at 4:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Falcons will be looking for a new kicker for temporary purposes. Matt Bryant will miss Atlanta’s Week 7 Monday night game, Dan Quinn said. The longtime Falcons kicker is dealing with a strained hamstring, per Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com, who adds Giorgio Tavecchio is among the names the Falcons are considering as a replacement. Tavecchio was briefly affiliated with the Falcons earlier this year, but Bryant’s kicked in all six Falcon games in his 10th season with the franchise. He hasn’t missed a game since he was limited to 11 appearances in 2015. Tavecchio will be among “a number of kickers” considered during the lead-up to the Falcons’ home Monday-nighter against the Giants.

Here’s the latest from the South divisions, continuing on the Atlanta injury front:


Falcons, K Matt Bryant Agree To Extension

March 5th, 2018 at 4:37pm CST by Zach Links

Another potential free agent kicker is off the board. The Falcons and kicker Matt Bryant have agreed to a three-year extension, according to a team announcement. Bryant’s new deal is worth $10.5MM and contains a $2MM signing bonus, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The pact also comes with an incentive package that could take the total value of the contract to $12MM. On an annual basis, Bryant is now the eighth-highest paid kicker in the NFL after receiving what amounts to a $670K yearly raise.

Bryant will turn 43 years old before the 2018 season starts, but he still looked sharp last season. In 2017, he nailed 87.2% of his field goals, good for 12th in the NFL. He also sank eight-of-nine attempts from 50 yards or more, so his power hasn’t deteriorated much.

Earlier this offseason, the Colts re-upped their own aging kicker in Adam Vinatieri, even though he turned 45 in December. The Titans also locked down a would-be free agent kicker in Ryan Succop when they inked him to a five-year, $20MM extension in February.

Panthers kicker Graham Gano might be the next big leg to sign a multi-year deal. Carolina is working on an extension with the 30-year-old (31 in April) and they’ll probably franchise tag him on Tuesday if no accord can be reached.

Bryant won’t make it to the open market, but other notable kickers will, including Sebastian Janikowski, Chandler Catanzaro, Caleb Sturgis, and Kai Forbath.



Falcons Begin Talks With Kicker Matt Bryant

February 21st, 2018 at 8:53pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Falcons have initiated contract negotiations with pending free agent kicker Matt Bryant, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Bryant will turn 43 years old before the 2018 season gets underway, but like fellow aging placekicker Adam Vinatieri (who appears to be nearing his own new deal with the Colts), Bryant hasn’t shown any signs of age. Last year, Bryant converted 87.2% of his field goals — good for 12th in the NFL — and made eight-of-nine attempts from 50+ yards. The eight attempts from greater than 50 yards were an NFL high, and a sign that Bryant still offers a booming leg.

Bryant was perfect on extra point tries, as he made all 35 of his attempts on the year. He also fared well in Football Outsiders‘ advanced metrics, which rank kickers based on how their field goal attempts compare to the league-average conversion rate from the same distance. Bryant offered 6.4 points through field goals and extra points, which ranked ninth in the NFL.

Under the terms of a three-year extension he inked in 2015, Bryant had been collecting an annual salary of $2.833MM (12th among kickers). He figures to see a bump in pay due to his recent production, and could see his per year paycheck rise into the $3-3.5MM range.



Falcons Notes: Coleman, Ryan, Bryant

January 18th, 2018 at 1:36pm CST by Zach Links

Over the summer, the Falcons locked up Devonta Freeman with a five-year extension worth more than $41MM. That’s a big chunk of change to dedicate to the running back position, but GM Thomas Dimitroff seems to think that there will be enough room to also keep Tevin Coleman in the fold after his contract expires next year (Twitter link via Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com).

Coleman, a third-round pick in the 2015 draft, is slated to carry a cap number of just $978K in his final year under contract. The Falcons love having him as a complement to Freeman, but with a career average of 4.3 yards per carry, Coleman figures to attract starter money on the open market in 2019. If the Falcons are intent on keeping the tandem together, their best bet might be to extend Coleman in the coming weeks, before RBs like Isaiah Crowell, Carlos Hyde, Dion Lewis ink new contracts.

Here’s more from Atlanta:


Matt Bryant Not Considering Retirement

May 10th, 2016 at 7:05pm CST by Zach Links

Matt Bryant will celebrate his 41st birthday in a few weeks, but he’s not thinking retirement. The kicker says that he is looking forward to getting back to his old form in 2016 after a difficult 2015. “I’m good,” Bryant said, according to ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure. “Rest and not pushing it was the best. I could have played the last two games but without being 100 percent mentally sure about it, I expressed and it was agreed that it wouldn’t be the best for the team or myself. I still have some good, productive years left. I won’t let one anomaly of a year get in the way of what I’ve done and what I’m still capable of.”

Of course, it’s not a given that Bryant will have the Falcons’ kicking job this year. The veteran made 14 of 18 field goals through ten games in 2015 before being placed on season-ending IR with a quad injury. Bryant avoided surgery on the injured quad, but Atlanta still wants to see if he has maintained strength in his kicking leg. As a Plan B for the veteran, the Falcons have signed undrafted kicker Nick Rose out of Texas. Rose made 13 of 17 field goals last season and also gained some internet notoriety when he nailed an 80-yard field goal in practice.

Bryant is scheduled to make $2.85MM in 2016, with a $1.3MM roster bonus. He’s also under contract for 2017 and he’ll carry a $2.833MM cap number in that season if he remains on the Falcons’ roster. Bryant’s current salary places him as the 14th highest paid kicker in the NFL, according to the data at Over The Cap.

Photo courtesy of USA Today of Sports Images.

Retweet 10 Share 10 Send via email0

Falcons Place Matt Bryant On IR

December 11th, 2015 at 2:31pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2015 season is over for Falcons kicker Matt Bryant, who was placed on injured reserve today by the team due to a quad injury (Twitter link). Shayne Graham, who has filled in for Bryant for the last two weeks, will continue to handle extra points and field goals for Atlanta down the stretch.

Although Bryant turned 40 this year, this is the first time since 2009 that he has missed action due to an injury. The veteran kicker remains under contract with the Falcons for two more years, and while he struggled a little this season, missing four of his 18 field goal attempts, I expect he remains in the team’s plans for 2016.

According to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Falcons have filled Bryant’s roster spot by promoting nose tackle Joey Mbu to the 53-man roster from their practice squad, Mbu will provide depth in the middle this weekend for the Falcons’ defensive line, with Paul Soliai sidelined.

Retweet 1 Share 2 Send via email0

Falcons Sign Matt Bryant To Extension

February 27th, 2015 at 7:47am CST by Luke Adams

FRIDAY, 7:47am: Bryant’s new deal is a three-year contract, with a total value of $8.5MM, according to Vaughn McClure and Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter links). It will count for about $2.483MM against 2015’s cap.

WEDNESDAY, 4:32pm: Veteran kicker Matt Bryant had been eligible for unrestricted free agency in less than two weeks, but the Falcons have ensured that he doesn’t reach the open market. The club announced today in a press release that Bryant has inked a contract extension that will keep him in Atlanta.

Bryant, who has been with the Falcons since the 2009 season, has been very consistent during his time in Atlanta. He made 29 of 32 field goal attempts in 2014, with his only three misses coming from 50+ yards out. In 2013, two of his three misses were from 50+ yards.

While financial terms of Bryant’s new extension aren’t yet known, he is coming off a four-year deal that paid him $2.675MM per year. That annual salary put him just outside of the NFL’s top 10 kickers, and given how good he has been since signing it, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him bumped up to the $3MM per year range. Of course, the Baylor product will turn 40 in May, so this deal almost certainly won’t be another four-year pact.

With Bryant off the market, Stephen Gostkowski and Matt Prater are the notable kickers without contracts yet for 2015. Jay Feely, Mike Nugent, and Ryan Succop are also eligible to become UFAs in March.

Retweet 4 Share 1 Send via email0

Combine Pressers: Colts, Bengals, Falcons

February 19th, 2015 at 4:18pm CST by Luke Adams

The last of today’s head coach and general manager press conferences with the media are in the books, so let’s check in on the highlights for the noteworthy sessions that we haven’t already covered. Here’s the latest, with all links going to Twitter accounts for reporters on the scene in Indianapolis:

Colts general manager Ryan Grigson and head coach Chuck Pagano:

Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis:

Falcons head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff:

Retweet 5 Share 2 Send via email0

Falcons Rumors: Maxwell, Thomas, Bryant

February 19th, 2015 at 12:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, in our round-up of a few NFC South items, we passed along a couple of noteworthy Falcons-related tidbits — the team has yet to instigate negotiations on a contract extension for standout wide receiver Julio Jones, and new offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan received a three-year deal when he was hired by the club. We’ve had a few more Falcons updates trickle in since then, so let’s check those out:


