Dante Fowler: 'I'm Ready to Make a Statement'

Dante Fowler struggled with the Atlanta Falcons in 2020, and he's heavily incentivized to be a force in 2021.

Dante Fowler struggled in his first year with the Atlanta Falcons. He signed big money contract, battled injury, and is ready to put all that behind him in 2021.

READ MORE: Dante Fowler is a Win-Win for the Falcons

Fowler had to like what he saw out of the attacking nature of Dean Pees' defense on Friday night.

"I think I fit excellent in this defense," Fowler said to reporters after practice on Monday. "It's kind of similar to Wade Phillips, allows players to be in very good positions to make plays."

Phillips was the defensive coordinator for the LA Rams when Fowler had his most successful season as a pro. In 2019 Fowler had 58 tackles and 11.5 sacks with the Rams, prompting the Falcons to sign Fowler as a free agent in 2020.

Fowler had a poor initial season with the Falcons. He had just 23 tackles and three sacks, and he faced the possibility of being cut and becoming a free agent again. Instead he agreed to restructure his contract, taking a pay cut, and making him a free agent after the 2021 season.

Fowler was asked about the process he went through to make the decision to take in essence a one year deal with the Falcons and bet on himself.

"The decision was basically me understanding what happened last year and showing that I'm willing and that I want to be here for a good amount of time. I felt like under the circumstances that we was in that I just felt like I could do my part to help the team get better in any type of way. So that's the reason why I did it. Yes it's a tough decision," Fowler answered with a laugh.

Fowler's new contract saved the Falcons $6 million against the salary cap in 2021. He has a chance to earn a lot of that money back this year with a big season.

Per NFL league source, Falcons have restructured Dante Fowler’s contract:

He had a $14-million deal this year, $6-million of which was guaranteed.

Falcons reduced salary to $6-million and added $4-million in incentives.

$1M-5 sacks
$2M-7 sacks
$3M-9 sacks
$4M-11 sacks pic.twitter.com/MNmcbVfFEH

— Zach Klein (@ZachKleinWSB) March 19, 2021

Fowler revealed that he battled injuries last year and he has something to prove this year.

"I have something to prove regardless. I was hurt last year. It is what it is. I'm ready to make a statement and show you guys that last year was last year, and we can put that behind us."

The possibility of playing for Dean Pees has to be tantalizing for Fowler. The defense shined against the Titans on Friday night and registered four sacks. Atlanta had just 29 sacks in 16 games last season.

Fowler has a lot of incentive to produce in 2021, and the Falcons would be happy to pay him what he's worth should he generate double digit sacks again.