The Atlanta Falcons and first-round draft pick Sean Weatherspoon have agreed to a five-year contract that could be worth as much as $17.5 million, a league source told NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora on Thursday. Weatherspoon, a 6-foot-1, 239-pound linebacker from Missouri, was drafted 19th overall by the Falcons in April. His contract contains $10.5 million in guaranteed money, the source said.

The Falcons debuted a campaign to increase fan interest and sell tickets on Monday that features actor Samuel L. Jackson. The video also includes a gospel choir and highlights of tight end Tony Gonzalez dunking the football. "For the first 17 seconds of the commercial, it looks like Jackson is about to sell us a long-distance company or make an impassioned plea for viewers to donate money to earthquake relief," writes Chris Chase of Yahoo! Sports.

The Falcons waived backup quarterback D.J. Shockley on Friday. The decision allows Shockley to catch on with another team before training camps begin later this month. The move also gets Atlanta to the 80-player training-camp roster limit once their final two draft choices -- linebacker Sean Weatherspoon and wide receiver Kerry Meier -- are signed.

Falcons linebacker Robert James has been suspended for the first four games of the 2010 season for violating the NFL policy on performance-enhancing substances, according to a source. James will be eligible to return after the Falcons' Oct. 3 game against the 49ers.