Tatupu has short-lived comeback with Atlanta Falcons

It’s a shame really. Lofa Tatupu was a strong candidate for comeback player of the year. Tatupu signed with the Atlanta Falcons this offseason after being out of football for a year.

Tatupu had played six previous seasons in the league, all with the Seattle Seahawks.

Tatupu wasn’t able to live up the expectations of the six-year, $42 million contract he signed with the Seahawks back in 2008 and was ultimately let go by Seattle after a failed attempt to restructure his contract following the 2010 season.

The Falcons sought out Tatupu as a low-cost signing to replace middle linebacker Curtis Lofton who signed with the New Orleans Saints. Atlanta felt it would not be able to afford Lofton’s services due to the fact they had very little salary cap room to play with.

But Tatupu’s story would end before it really even started. Tatupu suffered a torn pectoral, ending his tenure with Atlanta before he even got the chance to suit up for his first regular season game.

The Falcons released Tatupu Wednesday and resigned veteran linebacker Mike Peterson to fill his roster position. Peterson has been with the Falcons the past three years.   

Roosevelt Hall is an NFL Blogger for The Sport Mentalist and an NBA Blogger for The Sport Mentalist 2. He is also a Sports Reporter for Pro Sports Lives. He can be contacted at sportmentalist@yahoo.com and be sure to follow him on Twitter @sportmentalist.

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