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James Pearce Jr. did not report to the Atlanta Falcons' voluntary offseason workouts, coach Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday.
Pearce, a rookie a year ago, was arrested near Miami on Feb. 7 after an incident involving his former girlfriend, WNBA player Rickea Jackson.
He faces three felony charges, including aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, fleeing and eluding police and resisting an officer with violence, in addition to a misdemeanor stalking charge.
Pearce, drafted in the first round out of Tennessee, led the Falcons with 10.5 sacks in 2025. He also had 26 total tackles, five pass deflections, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
The Falcons' pass rush saw significant improvement with Pearce in the lineup in 2025, setting a team record with 57 sacks, 26 more than the year before.
"If he does come back, if he's here in this building, I'm going to make sure that he's all the way focused, all the way ready to go, make sure his mind is in the right place, so he can be at his best on and off the field," Falcons All-Pro running back Bijon Robinson said.
Pearce's status with the Falcons has been in question since the arrest.
"Obviously, we're aware of the most recent articles and things that have come out regarding James Pearce," Falcons GM Ian Cunningham said in March. "Those are concerning, right, to say the least, but outside of that, I'll just keep it just very similar to what we said at the combine. We're not going to comment on an open legal matter here moving forward."
Staying home for draft
Fernando Mendoza, expected to go first overall to the Las Vegas Raiders, will watch the NFL draft with family and friends in Miami, someone with knowledge of the quarterback's plans said earlier this week.
That person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because Mendoza hasn't made his plans public.
The draft will take place in Pittsburgh starting April 23, and many top players will be there to receive congratulations and a hug from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. But players, even those who are drafted first, sometimes prefer to watch from a different location.
Defensive end Travon Walker in 2022 and quarterback Trevor Lawrence in 2021 were the two most recent top picks to watch from afar.
Raiders officials have signaled they would like to ease Mendoza into the starting lineup without expressly saying they will draft the player who won the Heisman Trophy and led Indiana to the national title.