Falcons CB Alford announces his release

Atlanta Falcons cornerback Robert Alford announced on Twitter that he has been released by the club. "Thank you Atlanta for 6 incredible seasons," Alford wrote on Tuesday. "Sucks that it ended on this note. I enjoyed playing in this incredible city. Ima miss my dawgs but I'm excited for the next chapter. #TAT"

Alford had 10 interceptions in 88 regular-season games (76 starts) over six seasons for the Falcons, who drafted him in the second round in 2013. He also had a more memorable interception in Super Bowl LI, when he intercepted New England's Tom Brady and returned it 82 yards for a touchdown to give Atlanta a 21-0 lead in a game it eventually lost 34-28 in overtime. In 2018, Alford didn't record an interception in 15 games while making 50 tackles. In addition, he was flagged for a team-high 12 penalties.

Alford, 30, had two seasons remaining on a four-year, $38 million contract, which will leave $1.2 million in dead money on the cap in 2019. He was scheduled to make $8.5 million in each of the next two seasons. Overall, Alford made 303 tackles for the Falcons.

Atlanta figures to give cornerback Isaiah Oliver, a 2018 second-round pick, a larger role in 2019 after he started just two of 14 games as a rookie. --Field Level Media