The Falcons were waiting patiently for the 110th Grey Cup to finish.
Immediately after CFL all-star Austin Mack made six receptions for 103 yards and one touchdown — including multiple ultra-athletic grabs — in the Alouettes’ win, Atlanta’s director of player personnel Ryan Pace reached out to Mack’s agent, Brandon Parker.
“Right then and there we knew: ‘OK, this could be a serious opportunity.’ You know based on who’s reaching out to your agent and trying to get you to come in for a workout. We realized really quick Atlanta could be a great situation, a great fit,” Mack said.
Pace and Parker had a trusted relationship from when the former Chicago Bears GM signed his client Allen Robinson to a three-year, $42 million USD contract during free agency in 2018. After being franchise-tagged in 2021, Robinson earned over $60 million while playing in the Windy City.
Mack gave himself a week to celebrate Montreal’s CFL championship and then focused on his football business. Als’ general manager Danny Maciocia wanted to rip up the final year in his rookie CFL contract and sign him to a new two-year deal worth $250,000 per season, according to Mack.
“Why have someone play out their last year of a contract if you feel strongly they can be part of the foundation you’re trying to build? If you have the cap space, why wait? That’s why I approached him with it,” Maciocia said.
At the same time, Mack’s agent was telling NFL teams: ‘Austin is looking for upfront money and a real opportunity to come and compete.’ He didn’t want to bounce around again after going undrafted in 2020 coming out of Ohio State University. The six-foot-two, 215-pound target spent his first NFL season with the New York Giants, playing 11 games while recording seven receptions for 91 yards and had stints with the Tennessee Titans and San Francisco 49ers in 2021 and 2022.
“We didn’t call a single team. Brandon didn’t send my film to anybody. The first team that called was Atlanta. If they’re calling you in anything — any business — that means you have leverage to work with and they’re actually interested,” Mack said.
“I needed to know that it seems really serious and they’re there to help me go for a real opportunity at receiver. So we didn’t call anybody. We kept our word letting them see me first and did not accept any other invites.”
Rival NFL teams wanted to schedule workouts with Mack but he turned them down because Atlanta had proved to him their interest was genuine. The Falcons brought him to Flowery Branch on Tuesday, January 2. He met with Pace and GM Terry Fontenot plus went through a physical and 30-minute on-field session.
“They sent me home with a care package of gear, I was like, ‘This is the first time ever I’ve experienced something like this,’ Mack said.
“I figured there was something brewing with Atlanta. There was a significant difference in dollars. He gambled on himself and it paid dividends for him,” Maciocia said.
The Falcons talked about him being a receiver, not a special teams player. That was refreshing and different from what he’d heard in the past from NFL teams. Mack flew in to sign his two-year contract at team headquarters, which included a signing bonus, around $25,000 USD, on Monday, January 8.
“Our approach was I’m in a great situation in Montreal, I’m not desperate to go back and be in that cycle of camp invite, fighting for that borderline spot and really being a roster battle guy. I’ve done that early in my career,” Mack said.
“There’s going to be a real opportunity to compete and the best players that are on the field are going to play. It’s an affirmation for me: ‘You go in here and do what you need to do. There’s a real opportunity.’ Now it’s time to go take it.”
Atlanta pointed to former Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive back Dee Alford as proof. After a CFL all-star and Grey Cup-winning season in 2021, the five-foot-11, 175-pound cover man signed with the Falcons. He earned his way to playing 32 games the last two seasons while earning over $1.5 million USD.
“They’re a team that doesn’t care where you’ve come from. It doesn’t matter how you’ve gotten there. So it’s all about going into camp with the mindset of showing my dominance,” Mack said.
“I’ve dissected my film, what I want to get into and help elevate my game to not just be a borderline roster guy, but be somebody that can stick in this league and be very successful.”
Mack signed a two-year, $1.9 million contract with Atlanta worth $939,000 in year one and $1,030,000 in year two.