Now that the Atlanta Falcons have agreed to extensions with both Drake London and Kyle Pitts, it's no secret that Bijan Robinson's time is coming. An extension with the superstar running back will complete the first phase of extension season in Atlanta, and lock up the entire holy trinity on offense.
As weird as it sounds, the Falcons saved the best (or most important) for last. But they also have more time to complete an extension, as Bijan still has two seasons left on his rookie deal after the franchise picked up his fifth-year option this offseason. But it gets more risky the longer they wait.
Extending the 24-year-old is more of a when than if thing, and the new front office is still priortizing a new deal. But they are also going to shatter the existing running back market with any sort of extension for Bijan Robinson, which has started to complicate things in conjuction with another team.
The pressure is on for the Falcons to extend Bijan Robinson before Jahmyr Gibbs
Just like they have all offseason, Atlanta is still in a race to the finish line with the Detroit Lions, who are looking to extend their own superstar running back in Jahmyr Gibbs. But NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that a waiting game is triggering a stalemate of sorts on the extension front.
"However, there could be a waiting game carrying on with both franchises," Pelissero said. "Whomever comes to the table first is likely to be surpassed shortly thereafter. Hence it could be better (aka cheaper) for Atlanta or Detroit to get to an agreement done first, while Gibbs or Robinson are likely to get the bigger payday if they sign second."
Pelissero mentioned that both franchises want to sign their young backs to a market-shattering extension first, since the contract signed second is likely to result in the bigger payday. And I don't have to be a psychic to tell you that both Bijan and Gibbs are angling to be on the cash throne.
Right now, Saquon Barkley is the highest-paid running back in NFL history at $20.6 million annually, but not for long. Both world-class backs are set to surpass that number, and the longer the DIrty Birds are forced to wait, the closer they will get to approaching the ballpark of $25 million per year.
If both guys decide to hold off on a deal for a little bit, it'll apply a bit of pressure on their respective franchises to meet their demands. All that matters is signing first, because if you snooze you lose, it'll likely cost the Falcons millions of dollars they can invest elsewhere, though he deserves every penny.
The difference between $22 and $24 million a year may not feel like much, especially in terms of a RB market that's incredibly slow, but both of these guys are going to buck the trend against paying RBs. And if Bijan Robinson's new deal will make league history regardless, a bunch of mind games shouldn't stop Ian Cunningham and the Falcons anymore.
Add us as a preferred source on Google