DECISION TIME: Falcons make first move of a busy spring

It’s been two months since the Falcons’ season ended with a disappointing loss to the New York Giants in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.

And while some fans are still upset about how things ended with the Falcons, most fans are ready to move on and are looking forward to the moves the team makes over the next few months.

This offseason will be a little different for the Falcons because they only have five draft picks, and their first pick will not come until late in the second round (pick No. 55). This means the Falcons will have to be more aggressive in the free agency market than they have been in the past, which doesn’t being until Mar. 13.

As soon as the season concluded, Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff acknowledged that the team will realistically only be able to resign eight of its 17 unrestricted free agents.

The first move was made on Friday when the Falcons put the franchise tag on Brent Grimes, meaning Grimes, should he sign the deal, would play on a one-year, $10.2 million deal.

“Our feeling is, Brent Grimes is an excellent athlete with the ability to move, cover, break on the ball with some of the top corners in this league and we feel comfortable with his abilities,” Dimitroff said on 790 the Zone on Friday. “We’re encouraged about having him back.”

Another move the Falcons are planning to make is resigning Kroy Biermann to a multi-year deal. The team wants a four-year deal, but the defensive end is seeking a three-year agreement. Biermann does not have the same value as John Abraham, but he can drop back in coverage which is something very few ends can do in the NFL. Because of his size and speed, he could fit in either a 4-3 or a 3-4 scheme depending on which new defensive coordinator Mike Nolan wants to run.

Speaking of Abraham, there has been a lot of talk about what the Falcons are going to do with him since he is also an unrestricted free agent.

There have been reports of Abraham looking for $12 million or more per year because he feels like he should be getting paid like the top defensive ends in the league.

“Check out the five top ends. Everybody is getting 12-plus. I made eight million last year,” Abraham said on the 2 Live Stews on 790 the Zone. “Everybody is saying, ‘Oh, he’s so greedy.’ How am I greedy when I’m just trying to get paid the same thing they are getting paid? There are guys out there getting more money than me, but my production is the same as theirs or at least close.”

It will be interesting to see what the Falcons do with the all-pro defensive end. Will they give Abraham what he wants or will they let him test the waters since they are looking to resign Biermann?

One of the other moves the Falcons will decide upon is when to sign Matt Ryan to an extension. The quarterback has two years left on his six-year deal and is coming off statistically his best seasons to date. Ryan set a career high in passing touchdowns (29) and a franchise record in passing yards (4,177).

Other notable Falcons free agents are Todd McClure, Mike Peterson, Harry Douglas and Curtis Lofton. All four players would like to stay in Atlanta, but there’s no telling what’s going to happen these next two weeks, especially if other teams throw more money their way.