The Atlanta Falcons were somewhat careless with their money during the last few seasons under former general manager Terry Fontenot. While fans will likely never get over the team giving Kirk Cousins $100 million before drafting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. one month later, Fontenot had some free-agent hits as well.
The Falcons signed star safety Jessie Bates III, who has been stellar over three seasons in Atlanta. Those around the league scoffed after the team signed Divine Deablo last year, but the veteran linebacker was among the best defensive players on the roster.
Cornerback Mike Hughes has been solid and Darnell Mooney looked like a steal after his first season with the team. However, current Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham was hamstrung by the mistakes Fontenot made, and could only sign bargain-level free agents in the offseason.
Cunningham has done a good job of retaining talent, though. He extended both Drake London and Kyle Pitts, which brought Atlanta's salary cap ******* e up to $37.9 million.
After looking at the Falcons' top-paid offensive players yesterday, here's a look at the team's 10 highest-paid defensive players based of their 2026 salary cap hits (all numbers via Over The Cap).