Atlanta Falcons unlikely to reach long-term contract agreement with Grady Jarrett

July 15 isn't considered a massive day on the NFL calendar but, for a few players, it holds great significance. One such athlete is Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, as the 26-year-old was given the franchise tag in March and still does not have a long-term agreement with the team. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Monday morning that Jarrett and the Falcons are not likely to come to terms on a long-term deal and, as such, Jarrett appears headed for a $15.2 million salary for the 2019 season. 

That is a hefty salary for virtually any player but, in the same breath, Jarrett will not have the long-term security that would come along with a multi-year contract. Since arriving in Atlanta as a fifth-round pick in 2015, the former Clemson defensive tackle has exceeded any rational expectation, producing 14 sacks and 31 tackles for loss across 61 games and 46 starts as a professional. In 2018, he enjoyed his best season with 52 tackles, eight tackles for loss and six sacks, hitting the free agent market at exactly the right time. 

Still, the Falcons swooped in to place the tag on him and, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, it was the team's first deployment of the tag since 2012. If, as expected, a multi-year agreement does not come to fruition in advance of the 4:00 pm ET deadline, Jarrett will be in the mix for Atlanta this season but, if the Falcons were to place the franchise tag on him again, both sides could run it back with a similar dance before the 2020 campaign begins. 

At present, the Falcons enter the season with 30-1 odds to win the Super Bowl and Jarrett is a key cog of what should be an improved defensive unit for Atlanta. 

UPDATE: Jarrett and the Falcons beat the deadline by a little more than an hour and he received a four-year, $68 million deal. His $17 million average is only behind Fletcher Cox and Aaron Donald for interior defensive linemen in the league.