Free Agency 2016: Mohamed Sanu signs 5-year deal with Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons have signed former Bengals wide receiver Mohamed Sanu to a five-year deal, worth $32.5 million, according to multiple sources.

The Falcons have officially announced the deal:

Welcome to Atlanta, @Mo_12_Sanu! pic.twitter.com/Gr19hqM3fG

— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) March 10, 2016

For #Falcons WR Mohammad Sanu, it's a 5-year deal worth $32.5M, source said. $14M fully guaranteed.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 10, 2016

The Bengals originally selected Mohamed Sanu in the third round of the 2012 draft in hopes the former Rutgers star would develop into a solid No. 2 WR next to A.J. Green. It never materialized, which is part of Cincy didn't work harder to re-sign him.

Now, Sanu will get a chance to be the No. 2 pass catcher behind a similar player to Green, Julio Jones. Meanwhile, this move leaves the Bengals with a big void and no WR2 or WR3 with Marvin Jones departing to play for the Lions.

Sanu is a very talented pass-catcher who can be used in the wildcat formation and can even take a few handoffs in certain formations. He's someone who can do some good damage in the slot and appeared to move past his drops issue (0 in 2015, 9 in 2014) while also catching 66-percent of the passes he was targeted on. Sanu is also just 26-years-old and seemingly has only begun to show what his full potential holds.

Opposingly, Sanu caught just 33 passes for 394 yards and no catching scores to go with 71 yards and two scores on 10 rushes this past season. In 57 career games, Sanu has just 13 touchdowns (11 receiving, 2 rushing) and has never topped 790 receiving yards in a season.

Sanu recorded 30 or less receiving yards in his final 12 games this season (including the playoffs). He also has just seven grabs for 61 yards in three career playoff games, which only begins to explain the enigma Sanu has been for much of his time in the Queen City.

As a rookie third-round pick out of Rutgers in 2012, Sanu broke out with four touchdown grabs in nine games, but got injured and missed the end of his rookie season. Then in 2014 after injuries to Marvin Jones, A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert, he was pressed into a huge role in which he had five touchdown catches with almost 800 receiving yards, but became a ghost as the season wore on and dropped far too many passes.

Then you've got 2013 and 2015 seasons where Sanu was mostly a third or fourth option, this year, behind Green, Eifert and Jones. That leads to why he'll be departing, to take on a bigger role with the Atlanta Falcons.

Originally born in Sayreville, New Jersey, Sanu has spent the majority of his life in the Jersey area, playing high school football at South Brunswick High School before playing college ball at Rutgers. Now, Sanu will be picking up and moving down south to Atlanta.