On Wednesday, the Atlanta Falcons suddenly felt a need when their starting right tackle Caleb McGary announced his retirement. He was the team's first-round pick in 2019 and has started all six seasons of his career. Yet, after missing the entire 2025 season due to a serious foot injury, McGarry felt it was time to retire at the age of 31.
Even though he did not play last season, his sudden departure left the Falcons with a significant hole at right tackle. While the news of McGary's retirement came as a surprise to outsiders, it is clearly something the Falcons have known about for some time.
On Wednesday, less than an hour after McGary's retirement became public, the Falcons already lined up his replacement.
According to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, the Falcons have signed right tackle Jawan Taylor to a one-year contract with a base price of $5 million. He could also earn an additional million through contract incentives.
While Taylor is projected to replace McGary in the Falcons' starting lineup, he signed a fraction of his previous four-year, $80 million contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. Still just 28 years old, the Falcons are adding a player who has started all 111 of his appearances in the NFL, including the Chiefs' Super Bowl win in 2023. More importantly, Atlanta no longer has an urgent need to fill in the 2026 NFL Draft, where they only have five selections and none in the first round.
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