With the Atlanta Falcons’ 2025 season officially over, former Tennessee EDGE rusher James Pearce Jr. has now officially cemented himself into the franchise record books. Pearce’s impressive season highlights just how valuable he was to the team, and why Atlanta’s draft movement proved to be the perfect strategy last spring.
When the 2025 NFL Draft rolled around last May, the Falcons made a shocking move to trade away their 2026 first-round pick and two 2025 picks to move up to No. 26 overall and take Pearce. This move also came after Atlanta had already taken Georgia EDGE rusher Jalon Walker with the 15th overall pick. The move was heavily criticized by analysts, such as ESPN’s Dan Graziano calling it a “massive overpay.”
Atlanta had a plan, though. The team wanted to increase their production in attacking the quarterback, and Pearce ended up being at the center of that. The rookie from Tennessee posted a team-high 10.5 sacks, including two in Sunday’s season finale, to lead the charge for the Falcons. All in all, Atlanta posted a new franchise record for sacks in a season with 57 in total.
Pearce’s 10.5 total sacks were the most among all rookies this season, and were the most since then-Dallas Cowboys EDGE rusher Micah Parsons had 13 during his rookie season in 2021. His 10.5 sacks nearly doubled the second-most productive rookie, which was teammate Jalon Walker with 5.5 on the season.
“Staying the course,” Pearce said about his season output after the game. “The guys believing in me, me believing in myself. And God keeping me covered during the whole thing… I feel like we’ve been locked in on it all year, from the beginning of the year, OTAs, you know what I’m saying? The rush had to be better.”
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The rush certainly was better this season, thanks in large part to Pearce. The franchise record was the culmination of the Falcons’ calculated risk during the 2025 draft, and it paid off in a big way. Pearce ended the season with 26 total tackles, 17 solo tackles, 10.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and five pass deflections.
Despite his impressive season, though, Pearce is not currently favored to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year award. According to the odds calculations, that award is favored to go to Cleveland Browns rookie linebacker Carson Schwesinger.
Even if Pearce doesn’t win the award, there’s nothing that could take away from his massive rookie season with Atlanta. He’ll be a key player for the Falcons next season with a new head coach, but the 2025 campaign proved that the sky is the limit for him and the team’s new and improved pass rush.
The franchise record for the most sacks in a single season…
Sealed by @JamesPearceJr10 😤
FOX | NFL+ pic.twitter.com/1az3o2u6WX
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) January 4, 2026
