If you asked 100 who they consider the most valuable player on the Atlanta Falcons, most of them would say Bijan Robinson or Drake London, with a few mentions of Chris Lindstrom in there. But longtime tackle Jake Matthews certainly has some merit, especially after a certain new revelation.
While addressing the media during training camp, Matthews revealed that he played the final 13 games of the 2025 season with a high-ankle sprain. I mean, we knew he suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 6 and returned the very next week. but this adds a whole new layer of wow.
#Falcons LT Jake Matthews confirmed that he played the last 13 games with a high ankle sprain. pic.twitter.com/JozdIOmkip
— D. Orlando Ledbetter (@BowTieSportsGuy) August 5, 2026
He played through all that for a team that was no better than an 8-9 record and a fired head coach and general manager. Five-time Captain, as tough and as pro-Falcons as any player we can find, even in some of the toughest and most challenging times in franchise history. That’s a mouthful by itself.
Jake Matthews deserves the title of the Atlanta Falcons' Iron Man now
Matthews would have to be an Iron Man in Atlanta to hold the franchise record for consecutive games played and the longest active streak of starts in the NFL with 195. This journey has rang true from the start, when Matthews suffered a high-ankle sprain in his first NFL game. Despite that, he started in all but one game as a rookie and has yet to look back at the sideline. “I got to be out there, man.”
2014 15 starts
2015 16 starts
2016 16 starts
2017 16 starts
2018 16 starts
2019 16 starts
2020 16 starts
2021 17 starts
2022 17 starts
2023 17 starts
2024 17 starts
2025 17 starts
Falcons LT Jake Matthews is as tough as they come. Got it from his old man (Bruce played 19 seasons)
— Clint Goss (@NFLDraftDome) October 17, 2025
12 years deep & league leading 179 consecutive games…you’d have to shoot Jake for him to not play.
🎥 HT @Falcons_All_22 https://t.co/zru1T27XzD pic.twitter.com/x2O8xVhbG2
Genes are a powerful, powerful thing in this league. The Mannings, the Watts, the Bosas….the Matthews. The Pro Bowl son of one of the greatest Guards of all-time, 19-year veteran Bruce, nephew of four-time Pro Bowl LB Clay Jr., cousin of six-time Pro Bowl LB Clay III, grandson of 4-year veteran Clay Sr., brother of two others that made an NFL O-Line…the list goes on of on-field excellence and growing up knowing no different. In 46 consecutive starts during a two-time All-American career at Texas A&M, he received the Bobby Bowden Award for high performance on the field, in the classroom, and in the community.
Talk about being in your blood, Matthews has made nearly $1500 during his 12-year NFL career since being selected sixth overall in the 2014 NFL Draft, and he keeps coming back for more. Contract restructures to benefit the team in pursuit of more talent and to abide by the cap, creating $10.5M in cap space as recently as March 2026.
We’re talking about a man who drove from Charlotte to Atlanta on a game weekend to catch the birth of his first child and was back on Arthur Blank’s private jet to Charlotte in time to start vs. the Panthers. Yes, you read that committed savagery correctly. So enjoy Jake Matthews while he is here, even if it does feel like he’ll play forever.
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