One of the Atlanta Falcons' biggest offseason goals was to sign Drake London to a contract extension as soon as possible. Unfortunately, though, they waited too long.
The New York Jets have agreed to a massive extension with Garrett Wilson, who was drafted two picks after London, making things much more difficult for Terry Fontenot and the rest of the front office.
The #Jets and star WR Garrett Wilson have reached an agreement to make him one of the NFL’s highest-paid WRs.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 14, 2025
It’s a 4-year, $130M deal done by Jeff Nalley of @CAAFootball. pic.twitter.com/9aNokCiMul
They messed up by not having a deal done already.
Drake London's price just shot up for the Atlanta Falcons
Plenty of wide receivers were due for extensions this offseason, but Garrett Wilson was the one name the Falcons needed to get ahead of; no player's value matched up closer to Drake London than the Jets' top receiver.
The two were drafted within three picks of each other, have similar stats in similarly rocky situations, and are close in age.
Because they waited too long, they will have to pay more than Wilson's four-year, $180 million contract, with $90 million guaranteed.
The Falcons had more to lose by waiting than the Jets did. London has more leverage to demand a bigger contract than Wilson did.
He had a better season and knows that the Falcons cannot afford to lose him, especially after his coach said he wouldn't trade him for any receiver in the league.
He is the tone setter and was the go-to for Michael Penix Jr. in his three starts.
The Dirty Birds' new baseline will sit at $32.5 million per year, ranking fifth at the position.
At this point, they need to finalize a deal before the start of the season. London is primed for a massive year with his new gunslinging quarterback, and the team cannot afford to let him drive up his price more than he already has.