The game of chicken between the Atlanta Falcons and free-agent defensive lineman Richard Seymour continues unabated for a third consecutive month.
Flush with nearly $7 million in salary-cap space following Matt Ryan's $103.75 million contract extension, Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff made it clear Tuesday that Seymour no longer is at the top of his priority list.
Dimitroff told Alge Crumpler of WQXI-AM, via The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, that the remaining cap space will be saved for injury contingencies and emergencies.
"I know there is a lot of talk about Richard, and Richard is a fine man," Dimitroff said. "There is no more discussion here at this point about having him in here."
Of course, Dimitroff went on to hedge his comments by adding, "Never say never."
Dimitroff's comments suggest the Falcons are moving on after showing more interest in Seymour than any other team during the offseason. Is this primarily a reaction to Seymour's threat to retire if the right deal doesn't come along?
We would just like to point out that $7 million is an aberrantly high figure for an NFL team to devote to contingencies. Both sides appear to be negotiating through the media.
As always, the answer to all of your questions is money. Seymour wants more of it, and the Falcons aren't ready to part with it.
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