The Atlanta Falcons did not have cap space to take on Matthew Judon, much less Justin Simmons, as of yesterday. To accommodate Judon and perhaps Simmons—we can dream!—they had to free up that space in a hurry. They’ve at least gotten started on that with a restructure for Chris Lindstrom’s contract.
One of the best guards in the NFL, Lindstrom got a five year, $105 million megadeal in the spring of 2023. With no A.J. Terrell pact in sight and a desire to avoid restructuring deals like Jake Matthews’ for older players, the Falcons have dipped into the young Lindstrom’s contract, banking on spreading out hits over the next five years without it coming back to bite them.