Atlanta Falcons: Thursday is the goal to extend Devonta Freeman

The Atlanta Falcons have said all offseason they want to extend the contract of running back Devonta Freeman, and reports are they want it done this week

On July 26 the Atlanta Falcons are set to report to training camp, with the first practice being held the following day. Throughout the offseason one thing that has been heavily discussed is the pending contract extension for running back Devonta Freeman.

General manager Thomas Dimitroff has been open about the team’s desire to get a deal done, and has said at various stages they plan to get something worked out by the time camp begins. Recently he was discussing the chances of getting that completed before Thursday and he said he would love for that to happen.

"“I’ve always said that I think it’s going to be a fairly expeditious negotiation, but you never know,” Dimitroff said according to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. “That’s a tough thing to say. I’d love it to happen. If it doesn’t, we’re not throwing up a caution flag at all.”"

The key to it all is that Dimitroff said he won’t panic if the deal isn’t done. Atlanta is in a fairly decent position to negotiate as they have more leverage. Freeman is set to play out the final year of his deal while earning much less than his production suggests.

Atlanta also has options as Tevin Coleman proved to be a valuable running back as well in 2016. They also added Wyoming’s Brian Hill in the fifth-round of the draft. There’s a lot to like about his game, which means the Falcons could be just as dangerous on offense even if they fail to keep Freeman in house.

Next: Atlanta Falcons: Forecasting the future Edition 2

In the end, expect a Freeman deal to be done. They Falcons want to keep him and he wants to stay. However, getting it completed by Thursday seems like a bit of a stretch.