{"id":862181,"date":"2026-04-09T08:42:24","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T08:42:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/862181\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T08:42:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T08:42:24","slug":"atlanta-falcons-sign-chiefs-super-bowl-winner-after-key-starters-nfl-retirement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/862181\/","title":{"rendered":"Atlanta Falcons Sign Chiefs Super Bowl Winner After Key Starter&#8217;s NFL Retirement"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"submission-link-wrapper\"><a href=\"https:\/\/forms.nationaltoday.com\/news?location=Atlanta%2C+GA&amp;city=Atlanta&amp;type=Update+Existing+Story&amp;headline=Atlanta+Falcons+Sign+Chiefs+Super+Bowl+Winner+After+Key+Starter%27s+NFL+Retirement&amp;page=https%3A%2F%2Fnationaltoday.com%2Fus%2Fga%2Fatlanta%2Fnews%2F2026%2F04%2F09%2Fatlanta-falcons-sign-chiefs-super-bowl-winner-after-key-starters-nfl-retirement%2F\" class=\"submission-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/69d71fc0cb39b.jpg\" alt=\"A fragmented, geometric painting depicting an NFL offensive line in motion, with sharp planes of navy, red, and white intersecting to create a dynamic, abstract visual.\" width=\"1344\" height=\"768\" class=\"news-image\"\/>The Falcons&#8217; offensive line undergoes a Cubist-inspired transformation as the team integrates a new Super Bowl-winning piece.Atlanta Today<\/p>\n<p>The Atlanta Falcons have signed a former Kansas City Chiefs player who won the Super Bowl, after a key starter on their offensive line announced his retirement from the NFL.<\/p>\n<p>      Why it matters<\/p>\n<p>Offensive line play is critical to a team&#8217;s success in the NFL, so the Falcons will need to quickly integrate this new signing to maintain their blocking effectiveness for the upcoming season.<\/p>\n<p>            The details<\/p>\n<p>The Falcons have signed offensive lineman Michael Johnson, who was a backup for the Kansas City Chiefs and won a Super Bowl with them in 2023. This move comes after the Falcons&#8217; starting right tackle, Jared Veldheer, announced his retirement after 12 seasons in the league.<\/p>\n<p>      Jared Veldheer announced his NFL retirement on April 5, 2026.The Falcons signed Michael Johnson on April 8, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>        The players<\/p>\n<p>        Michael Johnson<\/p>\n<p>An offensive lineman who won the Super Bowl as a backup with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2023.<\/p>\n<p>Jared Veldheer<\/p>\n<p>The Atlanta Falcons&#8217; starting right tackle who announced his retirement from the NFL after 12 seasons.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/forms.nationaltoday.com\/news?location=Atlanta%2C+GA&amp;city=Atlanta&amp;type=Upload+Story+Photos&amp;headline=Atlanta+Falcons+Sign+Chiefs+Super+Bowl+Winner+After+Key+Starter%27s+NFL+Retirement&amp;page=https%3A%2F%2Fnationaltoday.com%2Fus%2Fga%2Fatlanta%2Fnews%2F2026%2F04%2F09%2Fatlanta-falcons-sign-chiefs-super-bowl-winner-after-key-starters-nfl-retirement%2F\" class=\"submission-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Got photos? Submit your photos here. \u203a<\/a><br \/>\n            What they\u2019re saying<\/p>\n<p class=\"news-quote-quote\">\u201cWe&#8217;re excited to add Michael to our offensive line. His experience and championship pedigree will be a great asset as we look to build on last season&#8217;s success.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"news-quote-cite\">\u2014 Arthur Smith, Head Coach, Atlanta Falcons<\/p>\n<p>            What\u2019s next<\/p>\n<p>The Falcons will look to quickly integrate Michael Johnson into their offensive line during the offseason program and training camp to ensure a smooth transition.<\/p>\n<p>        The takeaway<\/p>\n<p>This move highlights the Falcons&#8217; commitment to maintaining a strong offensive line despite the loss of a key veteran starter. Johnson&#8217;s Super Bowl experience could prove invaluable as the team aims to make another playoff push.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a The Falcons&#8217; offensive line undergoes a Cubist-inspired transformation as the&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":862182,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2074],"tags":[223,254,2554,224,7,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-862181","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-atlanta-falcons","8":"tag-atlanta","9":"tag-atlanta-falcons","10":"tag-atlantafalcons","11":"tag-falcons","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116373865983843369","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/862181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=862181"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/862181\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/862182"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=862181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=862181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=862181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}