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Disgruntled defender’s time with Falcons might soon be over

AP file photo by John Bazemore / Defensive end Takk McKinley said the Atlanta Falcons refused trade offers this year and last after the 2017 first-round draft pick requested the team ship him elsewhere in the NFL.
AP file photo by John Bazemore / Defensive end Takk McKinley said the Atlanta Falcons refused trade offers this year and last after the 2017 first-round draft pick requested the team ship him elsewhere in the NFL. AP file photo by John Bazemore / Defensive end Takk McKinley said the Atlanta Falcons refused trade offers this year and last after the 2017 first-round draft pick requested the team ship him elsewhere in the NFL.

By CHARLES ODUM / The Associated Press 4 min read

ATLANTA – Atlanta Falcons defensive end Takk McKinley may have jeopardized his future with the team by using social media to complain about not being traded.

McKinley, a first-round draft pick out of UCLA in 2017, posted Wednesday on his Twitter account that he requested trades last year and this year. He said the Falcons turned down an offer for a second-round pick in 2019.

Wrote McKinley: “The same AtlantaFalcons turned down a 5th and 6th round draft pick from multiple teams when I requested to get traded this year. I only have 17.5 career sacks.”

The Falcons did not pick up McKinley’s fifth-year option for 2021 before this season, and now there is no certainty he will complete the year in Atlanta.

On Wednesday, interim coach Raheem Morris ruled out McKinley for Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos because of a groin injury. It will be the fifth game he has missed this season, including last Thursday night’s road win against the Carolina Panthers, after being slowed by shoulder injuries the past two years.