5 offseason moves by Panthers’ NFC South rivals that made us laugh
By Jason Huber
Falcons let Russell Gage leave for a division rival
The Atlanta Falcons have by far had the worst offseason among NFC South teams and possibly throughout the entire league. They were already a bad team and managed to somehow get even worse this spring.
One of the most laughable among its bad moves was not re-signing wide receiver Russell Gage, who is coming off a career year. At just 26 years old, not only did the Falcons fail to re-sign the talented wideout when they desperately need wide receivers, but he signed with the division-rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a three-year, $30 million deal.
Gage will now join forces with Tom Brady and get to face off against Atlanta twice a season. Not exactly the most ideal scenario for an organization that has gone through some major turmoil since the 2021 campaign came to a conclusion.
The former sixth-round pick got his opportunity to have a breakout season when Calvin Ridley stepped away from the team. Now that the Alabama product is suspended all of next season due to gambling, the Falcons will be in trouble at the position.
It’s possible that Gage didn’t want to return to Atlanta but that makes it even more embarrassing. The Carolina Panthers lost a few of its own free agents as well, but at least they can laugh at this one.