When then Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan sought to bring Taylor Gabriel on last offseason, no one really expected the former Cleveland Browns wide receiver to play a huge role in Atlanta’s offense.
After all, the team had Julio Jones on the roster and just signed Mohamed Sanu to a big money free agent contract. Though, Shanahan knew what he was getting in Gabriel from their time together in Cleveland.
Once the former Abiline Christian star found a connection with Matt Ryan, it was pretty much over. Gabriel ended up recording 35 receptions for 579 yards and six touchdowns for the NFC champs.
The youngster is now being rewarded in the form of a second-round restricted free agent tender he inked with Atlanta on Saturday.
#Falcons WR Taylor Gabriel has signed his tender.
— Kelsey Conway (@KelseyLConway) April 22, 2017
The contract will pay Gabriel roughly $2.8 million for the 2017 season. It will also enable him to hit the unrestricted free agent market next March. That’s a raise of over $2 million from what he earned last year. Not too shabby for a player the Browns said wasn’t good enough for them.