
Both come with question marks at this stage, but the always-shuffling Falcons may still come calling.
A pair of veteran defenders with solid resumes have hit the market in early June. Former Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt and Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander are the first big-name players to fall victim to the post-June 1 deadline.
The Atlanta Falcons didn’t make any drastic roster improvements at cornerback. They brought back almost everyone from last year, and UDFA Cobee Bryant was their most notable rookie addition. At inside linebacker, the team added Devine Deablo for $7M over two years, but that contract shouldn’t deter them from an upgrade for the right price. The question is: Are either of these players actually going to add to the Falcons’ win total in 2025?
Both players were cut for different reasons. Pratt—like his former teammate Trey Hendrickson—was seeking an extension/pay increase, but the Bengals were unwilling to give in. Alexander already got his big money deal but has been a disappointment (and problem child) since.
The #Bengals are releasing veteran LB Germaine Pratt today, per sources.
Pratt ranked in the top 10 in the NFL last season in tackles and was a team captain. Now, he hits the open market. pic.twitter.com/6OabVd3Dv8
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) June 9, 2025
Pratt was key to the Super Bowl-contending Bengals’ 2021-2022 defense. While never really being more than just an average player, he had a knack for making big plays and improved each year in his role, earning him a contract extension going into 2023. Pratt could contribute right away, especially as a MIKE, but that’s not a position teams typically overspend on unless they are certified elite, to which he is not.
Pratt’s previous deal was worth an annual average value of $6.75M. It’s hard to imagine the Falcons giving him a better per-year figure than that, along with whatever terms he’s looking for on the length.
Jaire Alexander is a two-time Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro player, but he looks like a shell of his former self. The once reliable man coverage ability is essentially gone. His instincts and ball skills could transfer to a zone-heavy scheme, but the corner can’t stay healthy. In his entire professional career, Alexander has only played one full season—2019. He’s only played 50% of games the past four seasons; the best ability is availability.
“He’s just as likely as he is unlikely to be on the field.”@FieldYates explains how Jaire Alexander’s health concerns could affect his free agency. pic.twitter.com/ELgIdOUzFy
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) June 9, 2025
You would think a guy who got his money and has been missing all this time would be a good company man during the midst of all these unfortunate events, but it’s quite the opposite. Alexander was a headache. His name would frequently come up during weekly pressers, and by the end of his time in Green Bay, it was clear the staff’s patience had worn thin.
If an organization as well-run as the Packers doesn’t believe you can contribute to wins anymore, that should set off alarms for perennial losers. This isn’t a team taking what they had for granted; it’s an example of knowing when to cut your losses, a concept that other franchise *cough* Atlanta *cough* struggle with. This situation reminds me a lot of Jeff Okudah, who burned out in his one season with Atlanta due to health and performance issues. That situation cost the Falcons a future fifth and not a lot of money; Alexander will likely cost more in terms of dollars.
The Falcons took The Expendables approach last year with the additions of Matthew Judon and Justin Simmons. One was coming off a significant injury, and the other was a great player on a noticeable decline. Simmons ended up providing average play, and Judon provided us with hilarious [derogatory] play. Was Judon worth his third-round price tag, and Simmons his $7.5M? The 2024 results say no.
The regime also seems committed to its youth movement, and while they have shown the willingness to lean on veterans, they did so to a fault last season.
It’s easy to fall into the name game trap during the summer. Fans want to extract as much value as possible from the market, and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, when those additions can jeopardize future dollars and don’t even elevate the team into Super Bowl contention, you’re merely putting a band-aid over a buckshot.
Why should Terry Fontenot be allowed to burn through future dollars when he might not even be the GM a year from now? Atlanta already lost next year’s first-round pick; adding more constraints to 2026 won’t lead to a sustainable product. That doesn’t mean the team shouldn’t try to improve, but they will have to look for cheaper players that offer more reliability, a rarity this time of year.
If Alexander and Pratt were guaranteed to be the best versions of themselves, one or both of them would undoubtedly be worth the addition. However, there are no such guarantees in this business, and the Falcons have run out of betting chips.
The Terry Fontenot Falcons have been a never-ending Excel IF statement packed with low-percentage variables. If they hit, the team will produce a playoff solution, but far too often, a chain of the equation gets broken, and the team is back to the drawing board in January. It’s fair to suspect that signing Alexander or Pratt would lead to one more ugly cell in this franchise’s recently gruesome table.