Atlanta Falcons Award Another Massive Contract Extension, and It's Not Bijan Robinson

While Bijan Robinson waits for a contract extension, the Atlanta Falcons announced an eyebrow-raising new deal for one of his classmates.

New general manager Ian Cunningham has been busy handing out contract extensions this summer as Bijan Robinson waits. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

FLOWERY BRANCH, GA - One of the biggest stories for the Atlanta Falcons early in training camp has been the "hold-in" by star running back Bijan Robinson as he waits for a new contract extension.

Wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts were awarded multi-year deals earlier this summer, with the assumption that Robinson would be next.

The Falcons announced after Day 4 of training camp on Saturday that they have signed another massive extension, but it wasn't Robinson as expected. It was his classmate in the NFL Draft Class of 2023 Matthew Bergeron.

Details of Bergeron's extension, which will begin in 2027, are eye-popping. He got four years, $96 million, with $60 million guaranteed. In essence ties the Falcons to Bergeron for three seasons financially, before his deal becomes more flexible in years three and four of his extension.

"This means the world. I'm from Canada, and the second I got to Atlanta everybody welcomed me with open arms," Bergeron told Atlanta Falcons reporter Tori McElhaney after the deal was official. " Atlanta is a special place for me and my family. And now, I have the resources to give back to a community that has given me so much and changed my life."

Bergeron immediately tied with Cowboys' All-Pro guard Tyler Smith as the highest paid at his position at $24 million per year.

The dollar amount comes as a bit of a surprise for Bergeron who seemed to take a step back in 2025 after two solid opening years in the NFL. Pro Football Focus still graded him as the No. 22 offensive guard among 81 eligible.

Bergeron was drafted in the second round after then general manager, Terry Fontenot, traded up to get him in 2023. He was an offensive tackle at Syracuse, and speculation has been floated that he could take over at right tackle with the loss of both Kaleb McGary and Storm Norton. That doesn't appear to be anything more than internet chatter at this point.

The Falcons, in recent seasons, have poured a lot of resources into non-premium positions, with high draft picks and big-money contracts for players such as running back Bijan Robinson, tight end Kyle Pitts, and safety Jessie Bates III, and they've done it again with Bergeron.

Cunningham has shown the desire to use his draft picks on premium positions early in his tenure with the Falcons by taking cornerback Avieon Terrell and wide receiver Zachariah Branch with his first two picks in April.

This big of a contract for another guard, with Robinson still waiting on the sidelines, definitely comes as a surprise.

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