Time to make deals
Browns center Mack to sign with Falcons; Schaub also coming back
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons took an aggressive approach to the start of free agency on Wednesday by agreeing to terms on a fiveyear, $ 47.5 million contract with three-time Pro Bowl center Alex Mack.
The deal makes the longtime Cleveland Browns starter the NFL’s highest-paid center, with an average salary of $9.5 million.
The Falcons also reached an agreement with quarterback Matt Schaub, who will be returning to the city where he launched his NFL career.
Falcons coach Dan Quinn said he believes Mack will improve an offensive line that has struggled in recent years.
Quinn said he was won over by his study of Mack’s work, including “the consistency each week in his performance. … He is completely dialed in on the technique.”
“Then I found out the character and what he stands for and the way he likes to play, all those things added to it,” Quinn added. “Competition is the central theme of the program, and the way he plays, man, does he represent that.”
Mack, 30, will be a good fit for Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan’s zone-blocking scheme. Shanahan spent the 2014 season with Mack as Cleveland’s offensive coordinator. Mack missed 11 games that season with a broken leg but started the other 101 games in his seven seasons with the Browns.
The Falcons have had instability at center since longtime starter Todd McClure retired following the 2012 season, with three players starting there last season.
Mack was set to make $24 million over the next three years on a contract he signed in 2014 before he opted out to become an unrestricted free agent.
“This was an extremely difficult decision,” Mack said in a statement released by his agent, Timothy Younger. “After careful consideration, I concluded it was time to start a new chapter in my life. Over the last seven years, I have established friendships with teammates, coaches, and staff that will last a lifetime.”
In addition to the interior offensive line, offseason position priorities for the Falcons are linebacker and wide receiver. Quinn said the deal with Mack leaves financial flexibility to address other needs.
Schaub was a third- round pick by Atlanta in 2004. After three years as a backup with the Falcons, Schaub was traded to Houston before the 2007 season. He spent seven seasons with the Texans, starting 88 of 90 games, before serving as a backup with Oakland and Baltimore the past two seasons.