Azeez Ojulari once looked like the next great pass-rusher for the New York Giants. The Georgia product exploded onto the scene in 2021, racking up eight sacks as a rookie and setting the franchise record for sacks by a first-year player.
For a team desperate for someone who could consistently get after the quarterback, it felt like Big Blue had finally found its guy.
But the NFL is cruel to players who can’t stay on the field. What started as a promising career slowly turned into an endless cycle of injuries and missed opportunities. The 2021 50th overall pick battled calf, ankle, hamstring, and toe issues during his time in North Jersey, missing 22 games over his last three games with the team. By the time the G-Men traded for Brian Burns, the writing was already on the wall.
Ojulari tried the Saquon Barkley method and took his talents to the Philadelphia Eagles on a one-year prove-it deal. He didn't prove much. But clearly enough to earn another shot. According to NFL insider Tom Pelissero, the 25-year-old is signing a one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons, coming home to Georgia in hopes of reviving his career:
Veteran edge Azeez Ojulari is signing a 1-year deal with hometown Falcons, sources tell me and @RapSheet.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 11, 2026
Ojulari is from Atlanta and played college ball at Georgia. Now, coming home. pic.twitter.com/yXmrYakgV8
Azeez Ojulari's career was just handed a lifeline by the Falcons
The stop in Philly was supposed to be the bounce-back season he desperately needed. Instead, it became another chapter in what has been a frustrating run of bad luck for the sixth-year pro.
After signing with the Eagles, Big Blue's rookie sack record holder never found his footing in the rotation. He opened the season buried on the depth chart and spent the first few weeks as a healthy scratch while the Birds leaned on other pass rushers. By the time injuries finally opened the door for him to see the field, the window was already closing.
The numbers from 2025 are Scooby-Doo ruff. He played three games, logging 67 snaps with six tackles and one quarterback hit. No sacks, and the comeback attempt ended early when a hamstring injury landed him on injured reserve before he ever had a chance to actually get going.
The Dirty Birds are betting that the flashes that showed up in New York five years ago weren’t a mirage. Still just 25 years old, the former Georgia Bulldog is slowly running out of chances to prove he belongs in the league. The draft pedigree and his age are working in his favor, but if he can't make it work in Year 6, back in his hometown, it could be curtains for the once-promising pass-rusher.