The Oakland Raiders waived pass rusher Bruce Irvin on Monday, and after clearing waivers on Tuesday, he has found a new home. Irvin signed a one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons, with Ian Rapoport reporting it to be $3.2 million, prorated to $1.5 million for the eight games Irvin will likely be on the Falcons roster.
Irvin had his choice of teams, but it sounds like he turned down some other opportunities so he could return home to his native Atlanta. Irvin said on Wednesday that the Patriots and Steelers offered more money.
Following word of Irvin joining the Falcons, NBC Sports Bay Area reporter Matt Maiocco tweeted that a source told him the 49ers “went hard” after Irvin.
The #49ers went hard after DE Bruce Irvin, according to a source. Irvin, whom the Raiders released on Monday, received interest from about 10 teams. He signed a one-year deal this morning with the Falcons, which means he will be available as a free agent in March.
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) November 7, 2018
This is not the first time a notable player has ended up elsewhere and we hear that the 49ers made a push for the player. Irvin is a little different because the 49ers could have simply placed a waiver claim on him. They had the third waiver priority due to their current record, but nobody placed a claim for him.
The 49ers could have simply claimed him off waivers, but this seemed to be off the table. Whether it be for salary or Irvin saying he would not report to certain teams, it didn’t happen. If I had to guess, I suspect Irvin’s agent reached out to teams at the top of the waiver priority list to let them know Irvin was looking to land with a contender. Additionally, once word got out that the Raiders were going to release Irvin, some teams likely reached out to him before he cleared waivers to figure out what he was looking to do.
Whatever the case, he’s found a home for the rest of the 2018 season.