March 5, 2026, 12:16 p.m. ET
The Atlanta Falcons have hired Kevin Winston as their new vice president of player affairs, the team announced on Thursday. Winston spent the last two seasons working in the Carolina Panthers front office (2024-2025) and previously served as the Falcons VP of player affairs for over 15 years.
Winston has worked in three out of four NFC South front offices over the last two decades. Prior to his first stint in Atlanta, Winston spent five years with the New York Jets and four years with the the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, per the team’s official website:
Winston spent two seasons working in player operations at the NFL league offices before joining the Panthers. Before that role with the league, Winston spent 16 years with the Falcons as vice president of player affairs. He also spent five seasons with the New York Jets as the vice president of player development and four seasons as director of player development at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. — AtlantaFalcons.com
The Falcons are also expected to release wide receiver Darnell Mooney prior to the start of NFL free agency next week. Mooney spent the last two seasons in Atlanta, recording 992 receiving yards in 2024.
By releasing Mooney, the Falcons would free up over $7 million in salary cap space, which would give the team just over $15 million available going into the new league year. While Mooney’s release was expected, Atlanta now has a major hole to fill at wide receiver.
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Tight end Kyle Pitts is returning on the franchise tag, but the Falcons have little depth behind No. 1 wide receiver Drake London. Expect the team to make more moves before NFL free agency begins on March 11.
