Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Sports
Sports

In Salary Cap Move, Falcons Cut Asante Samuel, Stephen Nicholas

Posted byBy Curtis Bunn | Published on: CommentsComments (0)

To create $6.5 million in salary cap space, the Atlanta Falcons released cornerback Asante Samuel and linebacker Stephen Nicholas, clearing the way for the team to be a player in the free agent market.

The period to sign new talent starts on March 11, and these two moves were significant. Samuel was scheduled to make $5.2 million in 2014 and will save the Falcons $4.5 million on the salary cap. Nicholas was set make $4 million and will save the Falcons $2 million the salary cap.

Falcons general manager Thomas Dimtroff, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution at the Super Bowl: “Suffice it to say, we’ll be very mindful of our assessment of the readiness of some of our young players to potentially move into starting roles. Yes, there will be moves. There will be adjustments … There will be strong moves and there will be legitimate adjustments.”

The Falcons selected cornerbacks Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford in the first and second rounds of last year’s NFL Draft. Both played well, with Trufant making the PFWA’s all-rookie team. This did not bode well for Samuel, who spent two seasons with the Falcons. He had six interceptions 70 tackles (62 solo) and 20 defended passes.

Nicholas, selected in the fourth round by the Falcons, played in 101 games with 51 starts in seven seasons in Atlanta. He logged 397 total tackles (284 solo) with 10 sacks, two interceptions, five forced fumbles, and 12 defensed passes.

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top