Roddy White’s holdout worked. The Falcons signed him to a six-year deal worth $50 million.

ESPN has the details…

A source said White’s deal is for six years and $50 million ($18 million guaranteed). It makes him the third-highest paid receiver in the NFL behind Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald, who averages $10 million a year, and Steve Smith of the Carolina Panthers.

Greg Jennings just signed a three-year extension worth $26.35 million (if he hits his incentives), so White’s deal doesn’t average as much, but has more guaranteed money.

Denver Broncos
Brandon Marshall will miss the Broncos’ first preseason game August 14 against San Francisco. Marshall is still dealing with an undisclosed injury, which some believe has to do with either his hip or hamstring. (Denver Post)

New England Patriots
The Pats acquired defensive end Derrick Burgess from the Raiders in exchange for undisclosed draft picks. Burgess will presumably play outside linebacker for New England and gives the Pats a pass rushing threat if he can stay healthy. (Patriots.com)

Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs have agreed to terms with No. 3 overall pick Tyson Jackson on a five-year contract. The details haven’t been released, but it stands to reason that Jackson will receive roughly $30 million in guarantees based on his draft position. He’ll play defensive end in Kansas City’s new 3-4 defense. (National Football Post)

San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers and the player rep for Michael Crabtree insisted that the wide receiver did not make threats to skip all of the 2009 season and re-enter the draft in 2010. Apparently Crabtree’s cousin and adviser, David Wells, got some bad information. (NFL Fanhouse)

Atlanta Falcons
It’s been confirmed that receiver Harry Douglas tore his ACL and will miss all of the 2009 season. Douglas was subbing for Roddy White, who is in the midst of a contract holdout that could go deep into training camp. Atlanta signed veteran Robert Ferguson, although he’s hardly the answer for the Falcons’ receiving woes. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

The Falcons also got word that rookie safety William Moore will miss up to four weeks after undergoing a procedure on his left knee. Moore was battling 2008 third round pick Thomas DeCoud for the starting strong safety position. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Baltimore Ravens
Receiver Mark Clayton is only expected to miss 2-3 preseason games with a hamstring injury. Head coach John Harbaugh expects Clayton to be completely healthy and available for Week 1 of the regular season. (Baltimore Sun)

Roddy White deserves to be paid like a No. 1 receiver – he just doesn’t deserve to be paid like Larry Fitzgerald.

White, the Falcons best receiver and top playmaker, is currently in holdout mode in hopes of getting a new contract. He’s in the final year of his rookie deal that will pay him $2.28 million this season and if he can’t reach a contract agreement with the Falcons, he’ll be a restricted free agent next year since the owners are opting out of the collective bargaining agreement. (2010 is heading for an uncapped year.)

Last season, White hauled in 88 passes for 1,382 yards and seven touchdowns while helping to lead Atlanta to a miraculous playoff appearance. But when the Falcons opened their doors for training camp last Friday, White was nowhere to be found and is reportedly working out on his own in Alabama. Making matters worse for the Falcons, they just lost slot receiver Harry Douglas (who has been subbing for White during the holdout) for the season after he tore his ACL on Wednesday.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, contract talks between White and the Falcons have soured, with GM Thomas Dimitroff indicating that the holdout could go deep into camp. With White seeking a deal similar to what Fitz got (four years, $40 million), the Falcons may soon pull their offer off the table and make Roddy play out the final year of his contract.

This situation could have been avoided had White and his agent showed a little more trust and humility from the start. While White certainly has put up fantastic numbers these past two seasons (171 receptions, 2,584 yards, 13 TDs), he also shorted the Falcons during the first two years of his contract when he only caught 59 passes for a messily 952 yards and three touchdowns.

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The excitement bubble has just been burst for the Atlanta Falcons.

After being one of the NFL’s feel good stories in 2008, the Falcons are off to a bumpy start so far in 2009 as one of their top playmakers decided not to show up for camp because he’s upset about his contract.

Falcons wide receiver Roddy White, the 27th pick of the 2005 draft, was a no-show for the first team meeting Friday evening.

White was scheduled to report by 6:30 p.m., but he was not there, according to his agent. Players not present for the first meeting are considered “holdouts.”

A player holding out will be fined $17,000 per day, as determined by the collective bargaining agreement.

The Falcons have been in discussions with White’s representative, Jonathan Feinsod, about a contract extension. He confirmed that White wasn’t at the meeting but said “no comment” when asked to elaborate.

There’s no question that White deserves a pay raise. Over the past two years, he’s compiled 171 receptions, 2,584 yards and 13 touchdowns while emerging as one of the better young receivers in the game. He certainly deserves more than the $2.28 million he’s expected to receive in his final year of his rookie contract and the Falcons need to pay him to ensure Matt Ryan has his top playmaker in the passing game for years to come.

That said, I find it ironic that this is the same White who caught only 59 passes and three touchdowns in his first two seasons in the NFL and now he’s essentially ready to holdout for a new contract. Granted, most receivers don’t develop until their third year, but White was so bad that some were deeming him a bust after only his second season.

Again, White deserves a pay raise and the Falcons are likely to pay him…in due time. But it must tick the Falcons off that White is putting a damper on what should be an exciting time for Atlanta’s organization by bitching about a contract when quite frankly, he didn’t deserve whatever he was making in his first two seasons.

But I digress. The Falcons need to open their checkbook and pay the man. He’s worth the money given his age (27) and production over the last two years and again, Ryan is better with White in the lineup. I think it would have been better for all parties involved if White would have showed up to camp on time and let his contract situation play out on its own. But maybe this is just a scare tactic and he’ll show up in the next couple of days.