The team is now ready to jump into their offseason program in earnest with zero rookie contract drama.
That was quick and tidy. After signing Jalon Walker last week, the Atlanta Falcons now have their five man rookie class under contract after getting James Pearce’s signature on his deal.
There was little question this would get done, but it’s always nice to have your rookies signed with a minimum of fuss. That’s particularly true when you have two first round picks, something Atlanta last tried in 2019 when they scooped up Chris Lindstrom and Kaleb McGary.
Falcons first-round pick edge James Pearce Jr. is signing his four-year, fully guaranteed rookie contract, source said. Both Atlanta first rounders are in the books.
— Ian Rapoport (@rapsheet.bsky.social) 2025-05-12T13:54:18.238Z
Now that Walker and Pearce are under contract alongside Xavier Watts, Billy Bowman Jr., and Jack Nelson, we can turn our attention entirely to what’s ahead for the Falcons. In the cases of both Walker and Pearce, that’s the expectation that they’ll give this Falcons front a huge boost and provide pass rushing punch the team has lacked for far too long. While Walker is going to fill a variety of roles on this defense thanks to his versatility, Pearce is chiefly going to be asked to chase quarterbacks around, and the team made a big bet that he’ll be able to do that at an extremely high level.
We’ll learn whether that faith was justified in the coming years, and to a lesser extent in the coming months. For now, though, we can officially welcome the Falcons rookie class to Atlanta.