ATLANTA (AP) – John Abraham wanted a long-term deal and a chance to play closer to home.

The Atlanta Falcons were desperately seeking another top-notch defensive end.

Both sides got their wish.

Abraham, a three-time Pro Bowls selection, officially joined the Falcons on Wednesday after the New York Jets agreed to a three-way trade that also included the Denver Broncos.

But make no mistake – the Falcons are counting on Abraham to be a major part of their defense after a second-half collapse left them 8-8 last year.

keeping alive the franchise’s 40-year streak of never having back-to-back winning seasons.

Atlanta has former Pro Bowler Patrick Kerney at left end, but no one on the right side. Brady Smith was let go after playing only five games because of injuries, and the Falcons needed someone to take the heat off Kerney, whose sacks dropped from 13 in 2004 to 6.5 last season.

Abraham, who was upset that he didn’t get a long-term deal with the Jets, decided that he wanted to play for the Falcons. He wanted to be closer to his grandparents, mother and daughter, all of whom live in South Carolina.

“My family can come to the games without flying and without missing work,” he said.

A meeting with Falcons owner Arthur Blank convinced Abraham this was the place he wanted to be. He settled on a six-year, $45 million deal that included $18 million in guaranteed money.

Then it was up to the teams to work out a deal.

The Jets wanted Atlanta’s backup quarterback, Matt Schaub, but the Falcons made it clear he wasn’t available. Atlanta was reluctant to give up its first-round pick, No. 15 overall, without getting some extra picks.

After talking with Oakland and Seattle, Falcons GM Rich McKay got the Broncos involved last weekend. Within two days, the deal was settled: Abraham to the Falcons, the 15th pick to the Broncos, and Denver’s first-round pick (No. 29 overall) to the Jets. Atlanta also got a third-round pick this year and fourth-rounder in 2007 from the Broncos.

Those mid-round picks were key to the deal from the Falcons’ perspective.

“I’m one of those guys who says that you absolutely protect your draft picks. That’s what you build your team around,” McKay said. “To trade the No. 15 pick straight up (for Abraham) would have been very hard for us.”

But given the right deal, the Falcons were willing to let their first-rounder go because they didn’t feel they would be able to fill the right end position through the draft or free agency.

“We looked hard at No. 15, who that player might have been, and we didn’t feel it was a comfortable fit for what we needed,” McKay said. “Those guys are hard to find.”

The Falcons also were determined to keep Schaub, knowing they need a reliable backup behind Michael Vick, whose running ability stands apart from other quarterbacks but also makes him more susceptible to injury.

“The quarterback position is the most important position,” McKay said. “We have Michael, who’s a great quarterback, but he does miss time. We want a guy who can go in and give us a chance to win. If Mike misses some games, we don’t want to be 0-1, 0-2, 0-3.”

The Jets burned their bridges with the 27-year-old Abraham when they gave him the franchise tag for the second year in a row. New coach Eric Mangini wanted to build through the draft, and both sides decided it was time to part ways.

Abraham said there are no hard feelings about the way he was treated by the Jets.

“Honestly, I don’t know why it didn’t work,” he said. “I’m not worried about that right now. I respect the way they let me come to Atlanta. It could have gone really downhill.”

Abraham played all 16 games last season – the first time he’s done that since 2002 – and finished with 10.5 sacks despite coming into training camp late. Now, he’s part of a line that also includes Pro Bowl tackle Rod Coleman, giving the Falcons three of the top 10 sacks leaders in the NFL over the past five years.

“I wouldn’t want to be the quarterback that has to face the three of them,” Blank said.

Abraham can’t wait to get started with his new linemates.

“We need to get us a nickname,” he said. “All the great defensive lines have a nickname. Maybe by the end of the year, we’ll come up with a nickname.”

AP-ES-03-22-06 1949EST