Cap-strapped Falcons don’t tag Neal, release guard Carpenter

The Falcons are not going to use their franchise tag on strong safety Keanu Neal, his agent confirmed Tuesday to The Atlanta Journal-constitution.

Neal, who was selected in the first round (17th overall) in 2016, has started 48 of 49 games played over the past five seasons. Also, the Falcons released veteran guard James Carpenter, the team announced Tuesday.

With the release of Carpenter, the Falcons are projected to be $16.2 million over the projected $180 million salary cap. The team couldn’t afford to place the $11.2 million franchise tag for a safety on Neal.

Neal suffered a torn ACL in the 2018 season and an Achilles injury in 2019 that cut his time to four games over two seasons.

Neal started 14 of 15 games last season. The hard-hitting safety finished with 100 tackles, nine tackles for loss, three quarterback hits and one sack.

Les Miles is out as Kansas’ head coach just days after he was placed on administrative leave amid sexual misconduct allegations from his tenure at LSU.

Kansas announced Miles’ departure Monday night, describing it as a mutual agreement to part ways. Miles has three years left on his original five-year contract with the school that pays him $2.775 million annually through December 2023 and includes several bonuses, among them a $675,000 retention bonus paid last November.

The 67-year-old Miles was 3-18 in two seasons with the Jayhawks. Offensive coordinator Mike Debord was named acting head coach.

Last week, LSU released a 148-page review by a law firm about the university’s handling of sexual misconduct complaints campus-wide.