Atlanta Falcons hoping to get value for money from former Alabama high school standout

The escalation of receiver contracts has been so severe this offseason that Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper, once the only NFL player to make $20 million per season at the position, feels underpaid at that amount.

In that light, the three-year, $39 million contract Darnell Mooney signed with the Atlanta Falcons in March as an unrestricted free agent doesn’t seem like a big deal. His contract value ranks 25th among NFL receivers, and his $17.51 ​​million salary for the 2024 season ranks 23rd.

But over the previous two seasons, Mooney had 71 receptions for 907 yards and three touchdowns, and 57 other receivers surpassed Mooney’s totals in all three statistics during the 2022 and 2023 campaigns.

A former Gadsden City High School standout and fifth-round pick by Tulane in the 2020 NFL Draft, Mooney had 61 receptions for 631 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie and 81 receptions for 1,055 yards and four touchdowns in 2021 for the Chicago Bears.

In his first two seasons, Mooney was targeted 238 times in 33 games. In the last two seasons, Mooney has been targeted 122 times in 27 games.

“Everything in life is a learning curve, so it’s just a learning experience,” Mooney said of his four seasons with the Bears. “Obviously there’s been change, and I’m not really trying to worry about the past. I’m worried about what’s now. …

“I don’t even want to talk about what I’m going to do. I just want to go out there and prove it, so I don’t have to say anything. Plus, my goal every year is just to dominate, and with this playbook, this quarterback and this style of offense, I feel like it’s a good thing for everybody on the receiver side of this team.”

Mooney said NFL teams that spent money on wide receivers this offseason paid for “experience.”

“When you have somebody who’s already done good things in the league, he has that confidence,” Mooney said, “and it’s not something he has to build, just knowing he can do good things in the league. Once you have that confidence, you’re able to go as far as your team goes, as far as the (offensive coordinator) and the quarterback give you the ball. Once that confidence is there, you’re ready to go.”

In 2023, Atlanta had only one receiver who caught more than 18 passes – Drake London with 69 receptions for 905 yards and two touchdowns.

The Falcons restocked their receiver room around London this offseason, but Mooney and Rondale Moore are the only two of the newcomers with more than 12 NFL receptions in 2023. Moore had 40 receptions for 353 yards and a touchdown for the Arizona Cardinals, who traded him to Atlanta for quarterback Desmond Ridder.

“He’s a player who gets down the field, gets yards per reception,” Falcons receivers coach Ike Hilliard said of Mooney. “He’s a great route runner. He’s very, very instinctive. He’s got good hands. He’s great after the catch. I think you’re going to see some unique routes from him that you haven’t seen the last few years.”

The improved wide receiver depth chart is just one reason the Falcons hope to field a more potent offense in 2024 than they did in 2023. Last season, Atlanta finished 26th among the 32 NFL teams in points, yards and passing touchdowns.

For this season, the Falcons have a new head coach in Raheem Morris, an offensive coordinator in Zac Robinson and a quarterback in Kirk Cousins.

With 18 touchdown passes, Cousins ​​threw one more touchdown pass than Atlanta last season while playing just eight games with the Minnesota Vikings due to injury.

After six seasons without a playoff appearance for the Falcons, Cousins ​​said the newcomers are in Atlanta for one thing.

“Winning is what it’s all about,” Cousins ​​said. “It really drives a lot of decisions. And even when he recruited Darnell Mooney to come here, his response was, ‘I just want to win.’ And I said, ‘Well, we’re on the same page.’”

As the Vikings’ quarterback, Cousins ​​had a front-row seat to Mooney’s career with the NFC North rival Bears. He said he stepped in to make the deal with Mooney on behalf of Falcons management.

“They said, ‘We’re close,’” Cousins ​​said. “And I said, ‘Well, let me call him.’ This guy is a real pro. I saw him twice a year in Minnesota in the division.”

Cousins ​​said he was “thrilled” Atlanta was able to sign Mooney.

“Mooney has incredible movement skills,” Cousins ​​said. “He has very good hands. Football is important to him. There’s an intense intent in his work that you don’t see very often in players.”

Mooney was named All-State at Gadsden City in 2015, when he caught 37 passes for 697 yards and nine touchdowns and returned three punts and a kickoff for touchdowns.

In four seasons at Tulane, Mooney had 154 receptions for 2,572 yards and 19 touchdowns.

The Falcons are scheduled to report to training camp on July 24 at the team’s practice facility in Flowery Branch, Ga.

Atlanta will begin its three-game preseason schedule against the Miami Dolphins on Aug. 9 and open its regular-season schedule against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 8.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.