The Atlanta Falcons have officially named six players as team captains for the 2025 season: safety Jessie Bates III, inside linebacker Kaden Elliss, guard Chris Lindstrom, tackle Jake Matthews, quarterback Michael Penix Jr., and punter Bradley Pinion.
Bates enters his third season with Atlanta and his third as a team captain. He spent the first five years of his career (2018-22) with the Cincinnati Bengals, where he also served as a captain in 2021. The two-time AP second-team All-Pro started all 17 games in 2024, posting 102 tackles (62 solo), 10 passes defensed, a fumble recovery, two tackles for loss, and a quarterback hit. Notably, he was the only player in the NFL to record four interceptions and four forced fumbles last season.
For Elliss, 2025 marks his third year with the Falcons and his first as a team captain. The seven-year inside linebacker started all 17 games in 2024 and led the team with a career-high 150 tackles (84 solo) and 16 quarterback hits. He also tallied eight tackles for loss, five sacks, three passes defensed, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and his first-career interception. Before joining Atlanta, Elliss spent four seasons with the Saints (2019-22). This is the first captaincy of his NFL career.
Guard Chris Lindstrom will return as a team captain for the second time, the first since 2023. Lindstrom has started all 88 games of his career with Atlanta (2019-24) and earned his third consecutive AP All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors in 2024.
Tackle Jake Matthews, in his 12th season with the Falcons after being drafted in the first round in 2014 out of Texas A&M, will serve as a team captain for the fifth time. Matthews has started 178 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the NFL and the longest in franchise history.
Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will serve as a captain for the first time in his second season with Atlanta. In his rookie year, Penix started three of five games, completing 61 of 105 passes for 775 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions for a 78.9 passer rating.
Finally, punter Bradley Pinion will also serve as a team captain for the first time in his three seasons with the Falcons. The 11-year veteran has appeared in 162 career games, totaling 686 punts for 30,504 yards and 27,416 net yards. He’s placed 237 punts inside the 20-yard line, tied for third most since entering the league in 2015. This marks the third captaincy of Pinion’s career, following back-to-back seasons with the Buccaneers in 2020 and 2021.
With these six leaders at the helm, the Falcons are poised to lean on their experienced core as they head into the 2025 season.
