Falcons newest signee abruptly decided to retire at the age of 28, just 13 days after signing with the team
The Atlanta Falcons have been struggling this year pretty bad. According to NFL betting sites in Canada, the Falcons have the second worst odds to win the Super Bowl right now and things are getting worse for them.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that veteran defensive tackle Eddie Goldman, who signed with the Atlanta Falcons just 13 days ago, has changed course and decided to retire instead. Goldman is 28 years old.
The Falcons confirmed this story when they tweeted out that the former Bears defensive tackle informed the team he was going to retire from the game.
Goldman had signed a 1.3 million dollar deal for one year, and was expected to work with Grady Jarrett the Pro Bowl run stuffer, but this news is another huge blow for the Dirty Birds.
This is not the first big blow to the team. Earlier this year, the Falcons found out that their star wide receiver Calvin Ridley was suspended for the entire season for betting on NFL games.
According to the NFL, Ridley placed bets during a five-day period in late November 2021, when he was away from the club’s facility on the non-football illness list. The former first-round pick played in just five games in 2021 before leaving the club to focus on his “mental wellbeing.”
There were rumors that Ridley used his personal phone to place the parlay bets. Ridley reportedly wagered money on his own team. Ridley would tweet that he does not have a gambling problem.
Without Matt Ryan, who recently was traded to the Colts, the Falcons will be relying on rookie Desmond Ridder, Marcus Mariota and Feleipe Franks to carry the load. It is a very young quarterback room, and while Mariota has some starts at the quarterback position, this team could be looking at the first overall pick next year.
The lone bright spot on this team is Kyle Pitts. The former Florida Gators tight end has blossomed into an amazing tight end prospect. He had a stellar first year with the team, racking up 1,026 yards and scoring once on 68 receptions. At the tight end position, He entered the season being unable to legally drink and ended it as Atlanta’s leader in targets (110), receptions (68) and yards (1,026). Pitts is such a mismatch for defenses. You cannot put a linebacker on him because he is fast and can extend the field.
Pitts will look to improve upon those numbers, despite the Falcons adding more talent around him at the receiver position in the form of rookie first-rounder Drake London trade acquisition Bryan Edwards. I like the addition of Bryan Edwards from the Raiders and many believe Drake London will be a star in the making. All these players will be able to eat if the Falcons can stop the opposing offense and get them the ball. Hopefully, Marcus Mariota can shine as the starter, because if he doesn’t I would not be shocked he is on a very short leash.
The Falcons would love to get Desmond Ridder going early. Ridder could end up in the running for the Rookie of the Year position if he can get his Falcons a few wins over the NFC South.
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