The San Francisco 49ers took down the Atlanta Falcons in Week 7 but did not get a chance to go up against controversial former Niners wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud.
Now, the Falcons have released McCloud.
The reasoning for this has been a little murky. Atlanta’s head coach Raheem Morris said that it was a personal matter that caused McCloud to be a healthy scratch in each of the team’s last two games, but it seems there were deeper issues going on.
McCloud began the season as a starter but apparently had a fall from grace. He spoke out after the team fired its wide receiver coach following an embarrassing 30-0 loss against the Carolina Panthers earlier in the season and said the Falcons had no loyalty.
Ahead of the Week 7 matchup against San Francisco, his former team, McCloud took to social media with the following message:
I know my dawgs goin’ ball tomorrow!! I wanted this one bad with yall boys. Love yall , go Ball out and Let’s go get this win 🙌🏾 ….. 5 & 1 handle that for me plz 🏆 (y’all know what im talking about)!
— RayRay McCloud III (@RMIII_34) October 18, 2025
Some fans decoded this message as a swipe against 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, and sure enough the fiery cornerback took to social media with some fiery messages of his own.
It seems clear that Lenoir and McCloud had some beef dating back to their time together with the 49ers. McCloud’s release does not appear to have anything to do with his online spat with Lenoir, but the San Francisco cornerback must feel like he got the last laugh with McCloud getting released so quickly especially after Lenoir and the Niners defense as a whole held Atlanta’s receivers in check all game.
McCloud was with the 49ers for several years and primarily served as a kick returner and punt returner. Unfortunately, his most memorable play as a Niner will be the ball he misplayed in the Super Bowl when a punt ricocheted off his teammate's foot and he tried to scoop it up and return it. The Kansas City Chiefs recovered and scored a touchdown on the next play which gave them the lead and flipped the momentum of the game.
McCloud went to Atlanta following that 2023 season and had a career year in 2024, hauling in 62 receptions for 686 yards and a touchdown.
This season he had just six catches for 64 yards prior to his release.
He did not spend long unemployed as the New York Giants scooped him up quickly. This could mean that he actually will face off against his former team as the Niners and Giants will square off in Week 9.
If both McCloud and Lenoir are healthy, expect some sparks to fly after their social media spat.