New Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham said at his February opening news conference that the organizational principle will be “draft, develop, retain.” This offseason has emphasized the latter, as Atlanta moved quickly to lock up its young offensive core. The team signed All-Pro running back Bijan Robinson to a three-year extension worth up to $75 million that makes him the highest-paid running back in NFL history and also extended wide receiver Drake London (four years, $141 million), tight end Kyle Pitts (three years, $54 million) and left guard Matthew Bergeron (four years, $96 million). The deals total about $366 million over roughly eight weeks.
Those extensions signal that general manager Ian Cunningham, new coach Kevin Stefanski and new president of football Matt Ryan intend to build the franchise around the group. Robinson is 24, Pitts and London are 25 and Bergeron is 26, and the team said the quartet will likely remain together for at least the next three seasons on market-impacting contracts.
There are clear on-field reasons for the signings. Robinson led the NFL in scrimmage yards with 2,298 last season. Pitts finished as the second-most-productive tight end behind Trey McBride. London has produced at a top-10 receiver level despite a revolving door at quarterback, and Bergeron has been a starter since his first game, according to the Falcons.
The major outstanding question is at quarterback. No. 8 overall pick Michael Penix Jr. is still rehabbing from right ACL surgery last November and has not been cleared for 11-on-11 team sessions. The Falcons signed Tua Tagovailoa to a one-year, $1.3 million deal to compete with Penix; Tagovailoa has been limited in practice because of a tight back. The team said it hopes one of the two emerges as the clear starter this month, but neither has yet received enough reps in practice to determine that.
If Atlanta gets quality quarterback play, the Falcons have the offensive pieces and what the team described as a good enough defense to compete for the NFC South. The franchise has not made the playoffs or posted a winning record in nine seasons. Since Matt Ryan was traded in 2022, Atlanta has started five different quarterbacks: Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder, Taylor Heinicke, Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix. Whatever the outcome, the extensions give the eventual starter the best chance at success.
