Bruce Irvin to re-unite with Dan Quinn in Atlanta?

Bruce Irvin said last offseason that he wants to play in his native Atlanta when his deal with the Seattle Seahawks expires. Will Irvin join the Falcons?

Last offseason, Atlanta native and Seattle Seahawks pass rusher Bruce Irvin told Samuel Logan of Black Sports Online during an Atlanta Hawks game about how we would want to join the Atlanta Falcons once he became a free agent at the end of the 2015 NFL season. Irvin played for Falcons head coach Dan Quinn as a part of the Seahawks organization from 2013-14 when Quinn was Seattle’s defensive coordinator.

ESPN’s Vaughn McClure writes about the Atlanta Falcons’ likelihood of pursuing Bruce Irvin in this upcoming free agency period. While Vaughn’s colleague Sheil Kapadia reported that Irvin would take less money on a new contract to stay in Seattle because Irvin he’s “established [there]”, McClure believes that Irvin is worth more than the $3 to $5 million the Seahawks would be willing to pay him.

Bruce Irvin made $2.3 million last season with the Seattle Seahawks and should receive a significant pay increase in his impending free agency. McClure argues that Irvin’s agent Joe Segal won’t want to settle for a “hometown discount”, as he also represents the Kansas City Chiefs outside linebacker Justin Houston who broke the bank with his new six-year deal worth $101 million, $52.5 million guaranteed.

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McClure also points out that the Atlanta Falcons have recently orchestrated big contracts for defensive players like nose tackle Paul Soliai, defensive end Tyson Jackson, and outside linebacker Brooks Reed. All three defensive starters for the Falcons received a five-year deal in their free agency period with Atlanta. Might Bruce Irvin be able to sign for a contract with Atlanta around that length?

Irvin will work in Dan Quinn’s 4-3 Under defensive scheme, as the results speak for themselves while they were together in Seattle. We saw in 2015 how former Seahawks outside linebacker O’Brien Schofield performed in his first year in Atlanta, carving out a starting role due to Reed’s injury, but played well nonetheless.

Quinn needs to bolster his Atlanta Falcons pass rush, as it again was the weakest unit in the entire National Football League in 2015. The Atlanta Falcons will certainly address the pass rushing issues this offseason and perhaps Bruce Irvin is an answer for Quinn’s team in that regard.

We saw rookie outside linebacker Vic Beasley start to come on in the final quarter of the 2015 NFL season, so hopefully that is a sign of good things to come. Pairing Irvin with Beasley could help give the Falcons’ 2016 pass rush some much-needed bite.

It’s not easy to spend a great amount of money on a pass rusher, as so much of a player’s success in this league at the position relies on scheme fit and the other players around him. However, Dan Quinn knows that Bruce Irvin would fit in nicely to his defensive philosophy in Flowery Branch, so it’s a clearer estimation that Irvin’s skill set would translate well in the Falcons’ pass rush scheme.

Bruce Irvin may have loved his time playing for the NFC West juggernaut Seattle Seahawks, but the Atlanta Falcons will likely target him as one of their bigger free agent signings and will probably pay more than what Seattle is willing to offer. Keep in mind the Seattle still has to pay quarterback Russell Wilson this summer.

Next: Devin Hester: Atlanta Falcons' 2016 cap casualty?

With a bigger offer, the opportunity to play at home, and great familiarity with the head coach, there is a very good chance that linebacker Bruce Irvin ends up with the Atlanta Falcons for the 2016 NFL season and beyond.

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