 He completed the season with 49 combined tackles (37 solo), 14 passes defensed, and an interception in 12 games and 12 starts.On March 2, 2012, the Atlanta Falcons applied their franchise tag to Grimes for the upcoming 2012 season.On April 24, 2012, Grimes signed his one-year, $10.60 million franchise tag after speculation that the Falcons were seeking a trade to acquire cornernack Asante Samuel.