Falcons Wide Receiver Drake London has New Goal for 2026

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London was just awarded a new contract from the team, signing a four-year deal worth up to $150 million with $100 million guaranteed to replace the fifth-year option on his rookie deal.

The Falcons have retained their top pass catcher, and he has a new goal for the 2026 season, outside of the typical, winning the Super Bowl and individual awards. London has another milestone in mind: to become a team captain.

"The biggest thing I want is I want that 'C' on my chest,” London said at media availability this week. “I think that is the ultimate honor as a teammate," London explained, "as somebody in the building, to be labeled as a captain would be huge."

London has always led by example rather than words, but he believes that style resonates with his teammates.

"I think every year that I have been here, I have tried to inch closer and closer to becoming that for these guys," London said. "I came into the league at 20. I am 24 right now. But policing other men is hard. Not policing like (what you think), but really being a leader amongst men who are much older than you, when they have feelings of their own, that's a hard thing."

If he needed the endorsement of new head coach Kevin Stefanski, there's a pretty good chance London would get it.

"I think Drake represents all the things that we believe in, in terms of how you play this game, how you approach this game, how important this game is to him, how important his teammates are to him," Stefanski said this week.

If London becomes a captain, he’d be joining a short list of wideouts who have been awarded that recently. Julio Jones, Eric Weems, and Calvin Ridley also had that honor in the last 10 years.

Jones was named a captain for the 2016,2019 and 2020 seasons. Weems was voted as a special teams and offensive captain in 2015 and 2016. Weems was an undrafted free agent back in 2007 and had been a contributor on offense, but special teams primarily.

Ridley was drafted by the team in the first round in 2018. Ridley was the number two to Jones and showed flashes of his talent in his rookie season, catching 64 passes for 821 yards and 10 touchdowns, which was a franchise record for a rookie.

Ridley became a captain in his fourth season in the league in 2021, an honor that may have been too much for him, because he left the team twice during the season, for good, before a Week 8 matchup against the Carolina Panthers.

The Falcons should have no worries with London, who has been in the spotlight as the Falcons No. 1 receiver since the day he was selected as the first wide receiver in the 2022 NFL Draft.

"Very competitive player," Stefanski continued. "I think that's something you see from a player like Drake. You see that in season and during the games. But, doesn't like to drop a ball, doesn't like to have a poor rep in routes versus air. Doesn't like to have a poor rep in 7 on 7.

"So you see the competitive nature, certainly from him, show up on a day-to-day basis."

Sounds like the makings of a future captain.

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