Question of the Week: What is the biggest takeaway from the Falcons offseason?

WAACK: There are so many different ways I could go with this. Honestly, I hadn’t settled on an idea until Tuesday afternoon, after defensive tackle Grady Jarrett addressed the media for the first time this offseason. Because wow, he impressed me with his candidness toward his injury-rehab experience. Especially since it was really the first of his career.

Jarrett spoke for 22 minutes, answering 11 questions. Each response was raw and honest.

The 31-year-old went into detail about what happened in that Week 8 loss to the Tennessee Titans when he tore his ACL and the emotions he felt when an MRI confirmed the severity of his injury the following day. He also shared the difficulties that followed his surgery, such as requiring help simply to use the bathroom or get in and out of a car. He even explained the new perspectives he gained in life, both on and off the field.

My favorite moment was as follows:

“I got a new appreciation for what it takes to be a mom,” Jarrett said. “Because boy, when I got all that time with my son, sometimes you think, ‘Oh, I can just hang with the kid. He’s just going to sit there.’ Man, this boy is a handful all the time.”

And that transitioned into Jarrett comparing himself to those who are redoing his backyard. Their project and his recovery timeline began at the same time seven months ago.

“I’m like, ‘Dang, they’ve been working just as hard as me every day,'” Jarrett said. “So, the work people put in day-in and day-out — life is hard. Everybody works hard. If I had to choose a hard, I’m blessed that football is my hard. I can’t take that for granted. I don’t.”

It’s that self-awareness that won me over and convinced me that Jarrett will be ready come Sept. 8 for Week 1 of the 2024 season. I immediately wrote about Jarrett’s press conference — and you can read that full story here — but I wasn’t quite done processing and recognizing all that he said. Thus, my Question of the Week answer gave me a chance to expand on it.

Year 10 should be special for No. 97.