The franchise tag deadline came and went without the Falcons using theirs, leaving open the possibility that safety William Moore will hit the open market next week.
While Moore isn’t upset about going tagless -- it would have guaranteed him a salary of $6.912 million if he couldn’t work out a long-term deal -- he is hopeful that he’ll continue to patrol the secondary for the Falcons. Moore was a guest on Sirius XM radio and said that he understood the business side of a process he called “mind-boggling” might force him elsewhere, but his first choice remains a deal that keeps him in Atlanta.
“I’ve had talks with my agents ... they are in great negotiations,” Moore said, via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I hope to get it closed soon. I love the Atlanta Falcons. They gave me an opportunity to be blessed and come into the NFL and be a part of this great organization.”
The Falcons gave safety Thomas DeCoud a five-year, $17.5 million salary before last season but Moore is likely in line for a bigger deal than that this year. Michael Griffin signed with the Titans for an average salary of $7 million over five years and others like Kerry Rhodes and Antoine Bethea are in a similar neighborhood. Moore has a good chance of winding up in that neighborhood as well, be it with the Falcons or someone else.