NFL Free Agency: Lorenzo Carter to re-sign with Atlanta Falcons
Lorenzo Carter is looking to continue to grow as an NFL player, and now he knows which team he’ll be doing it with. The former Georgia Bulldogs star has signed a new contract, inking a two-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Carter was originally drafted by the New York Giants with the No. 66 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. The Giants had hoped Carter would develop into a ferocious pass rusher, and he flashed at times, but injuries piling up eventually caused them to look in a different direction.
After spending four seasons in New York, Carter returned to Georgia, where he took his talents to Atlanta in 2022. Carter would accumulate four sacks and an interception during his first season with the Falcons last season.
Now, Carter is looking to build on the progress he’s made, still only 27 years old. Perhaps he’s a late-bloomer, but he’s being given another chance to prove it.
More on the 2023 NFL offseason, free agency
The NFL 2023 calendar year is set to begin at 4 p.m. ET on March 15 when contracts running through 2022 will officially run out, making those players free agents. Prior to the beginning of free agency, teams will have a chance to designate one franchise or transition tag player, starting on Feb. 21 at 4 p.m. ET and ending on March 7. Beginning March 13 through March 15 teams will be allowed a legal negotiation with players who are set to become unrestricted free agents.
In addition to NFL free agency, the new year also marks the beginning of all trades being made official by the league office. April 21 marks the deadline to sign restricted free agents to offer sheets while April 26 marks the deadline for teams to match restricted free agent offers sheets. 722 players are slated to become free agents in 2023.
More on restricted, exclusive rights free agents
Players with only three years of accredited NFL experience become restricted free agents. Their original team will have the option to apply first-round, second-round, original-round, and right-of-fight-of-first-refusal tenders on players at escalating price tags. The higher the round, the more expensive the tender amount; however, if a separate team does offer a contract and the original team does not match that round pick will be conveyed from the new team to the original team. Right of first refusal only gives a team the option to match or not. If they don’t match, they get nothing in return. An original-round tender would send a draft pick from whatever round the player was drafted back to the original team if they chose not to match. The original team will have five days to match once a player signs an offer sheet from a new team.