The Atlanta Falcons have been active on the contract extension market this offseason. They already signed Drake London and Kyle Pitts to long-term deals this summer, but they may not be done yet, especially since Atlanta has yet to sign Bijan Robinson or Divine Deablo to contract extensions.
Bijan is the obvious next domino to fall for this new Falcons' front office, but Deablo shouldn't be far behind. He was a breakout star for the defense last season, and now that Kaden Elliss left for New Orleans in free agency, he's set to take on the role as the new green dot for Jeff Ulbrich's defense.
But here's the thing: the 27-year-old is entering a contract year. After signing a two-year, $14 million deal before last season, Divine Deablo is in a place where he's about to make way more money on a new contract. But another NFL team just made that road tougher by quietly increasing the price tag.
Jordyn Brooks' extension complicates things for Divine Deablo and the Falcons
Earlier this week, the Miami Dolphins signed star linebacker Jordyn Brooks to a three-year, $51.3 million contract extension. Instead of trading him, they instead chose to pay him a hair over $17 million a year, which is set to make him the sixth-highest paid linebacker in the NFL on a yearly basis.
And unfortunately, this is going to affect Deablo's asking price. The linebacker market has started to become more prevalent in recent seasons. 10 linebackers currently make over $15 million a year, and the Dirty Birds felt comfortable letting Elliss walk because they weren't willing to pay an LB big money.
The Falcons' linebacker room could not handle his departure, so they're almost forced to go toe-to-toe with Miami's new deal to keep him. The converted safety is an elite athlete and is the exact archetype of LB that Ulbrich thrives working with--so this defense cannot afford to lose their green dot for a second straight offseason.
The difference here is that Brooks is coming off a First Team All-Pro season where he led the NFL in tackles. Meanwhile, the 2021 third-round pick would've had a career year with the Falcons had he not missed four games due to injury, but his best numbers wouldn't hold a candle to Brooks' in 2025.
Agent 0 is entering a season where he's bound to land his first-career Pro Bowl and become more of a household name, especially with another offseason of continuity under his belt. But the more the LB market evolves, the more Ian Cunningham will have to pay up to ensure the Falcons keep him.
The benefit the Falcons have here is that they have the financial flexibility to get a long-term deal done with Deablo, but Jordyn Brooks' deal may force them to pay him around $15 million a year compared to a deal in the same ballpark they refused to give Elliss, which will trigger a dilemma.
Instead of getting blindly spooked about the implications the Brooks deal will have on the linebacker market, Ian Cunningham may want to see how Divine Deablo adjusts to his new role before committing to a second contract--but regardless, the Falcons have to pay this man sooner than later.
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