Latest Major NFL Contracts Will Force Falcons to Pay Big for Bijan Robinson

The Atlanta Falcons are not doing themselves any favors waiting around to put pen to paper when it comes to signing star running back Bijan Robinson to a contract extension. In fact, the longer the Falcons wait, the more expensive that price will be. 

That is something teams have learned this past week in the AFC East, as both the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins have signed their starting running backs to long-term, lucrative deals. The Jets signed Breece Hall to a three-year, $45.75 million extension, averaging $15.25 million per year. At the same time, Miami signed De’Von Achane to a four-year, $64 million contract, with an average annual value of $16 million, just a few days later. Both of these deals rank them as the 3rd- and 4th-highest-paid running backs in the NFL. 

However, there is one problem. Neither of these running backs is Bijan Robinson. 

Some franchises, like the Buffalo Bills, are now starting to see the value in signing their star players early in the negotiation process, before the market is set to increase again. Being an early adopter in investing in your top players, like the Bills did with running back James Cook last offseason, for a four-year, $46 million extension averaging $11.5 million per year, seems like a bargain.

There is a realistic chance the Atlanta Falcons will be forced to pay Robinson north of $20M per year, as someone of his caliber will certainly be looking to reset the market for his position. It would be hard to argue his worth when it comes to fighting for the Falcons superstar running back to be the highest paid at his spot across all 32 teams. This past season, he had close to 2,300 yards from scrimmage and was a finalist for Offensive Player of the Year. 

Although some organizations hesitate to sign running backs long-term, Robinson’s value may only inflate even more under new Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski. During his tenure as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns, especially during the two seasons he took the struggling franchise to the postseason, his offenses were extremely reliant on the run game. If Robinson has a career year in the backfield, which isn’t unlikely considering the regime change and pondering questions at quarterback, Arthur Blank may want to hand Bijan a blank check.