Falcons release two-time Pro Bowl cornerback

Casey Hayward saw an injury stop his first Falcons season after six games. The team will cut ties with the veteran cornerback, announcing his release Friday afternoon.

Atlanta will pick up $5M in cap space by releasing Hayward, who has 11 NFL seasons on his resume. This cut comes days after the Falcons agreed on a trade for former Lions No. 3 overall pick Jeff Okudah; The team also signed Mike Hughes in free agency. As the Falcons transition to DC Ryan Nielsen, their secondary will re-emerge a bit younger.

As the Falcons struggled to pressure quarterbacks, their secondary did not fare well last season. Hayward’s injury left a host of lower-end investments stationed alongside AJ Terrell at corner, and the Falcons ranked 25th in pass defense. Terrell remains Atlanta’s secondary anchor, but he will be joined by a host of new cover men—including safety Jessie Bates—next season.

Hayward, 33, suffered a shoulder injury and underwent in-season surgery that ended up shutting him down. The Falcons gave the accomplished corner a two-year, $11M deal to come over from the Raiders, but they are now the second team in three offseasons to cut the former Packers draftee. The Chargers moved on after Hayward’s successful tenure in 2021.

The Raiders received solid production from Hayward in 2021; Pro Football Focus graded the former Pro Bowler as a top-15 corner. Gus Bradley‘s Raiders hire helped lead Hayward to Vegas, after he had spent four seasons under Bradley in Los Angeles. The Chargers made Hayward one of their better free agent signings in team history back in 2016, prying him from Green Bay on a midlevel accord. Hayward made the next two Pro Bowls, the first after intercepting an NFL-most seven passes, and earned a three-year, $33.25M Bolts extension. Hayward started 75 games for the Chargers from 2016-20.

While the Colts traded a soon-to-be 33-year-old Stephon Gilmore to the Cowboys, opening a secondary job under Bradley, teams do not show much eagerness to add mid-30-something corners. Only Hayward, ex-Chargers teammate Chris Harris, Jackrabbit Jenkins and Josh Norman played age-33 seasons at corner last year. Of that quartet, Hayward was the only one on a roster in Week 1.