Kevin Stefanski Reacts to Bijan Robinson's Record-Breaking Contract Extension with Falcons

FLOWERY BRANCH, GA - Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson's hold in at training camp had reached five days. It didn't reach day six.

News broke Tuesday morning that Robinson and the Falcons had agreed to an extension that made him the highest-paid running back in NFL history. The three-year extension pays Robinson an average of $25 million per year.

Full details of the extension have yet to be reported on whether it replaces Robinson's fifth-year option in 2027 or begins after 2028. Either way, with $50 million guaranteed, Robinson is financially secure.

Also feeling more secure is new head coach Kevin Stefanski. Key members of the Falcons offense, including Drake London, Kyle Pitts Sr., and Matthew Bergeron, had all gotten extensions this summer. Robinson was still on the docket, but Stefanski and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees had gone through the first five days of practice with Robinson watching from the sidelines.

With his star back taken care of, Stefanski gets the engine of the Falcons' offense back on the field for the foreseeable future.

"Very excited for him, excited for us. Knew throughout this whole process that it would be a process, and felt good about where we were," Stefanski said on Tuesday afternoon at training camp.

By saying the Falcons knew it would be a process, there wasn't any real doubt that a deal would get done, and Stefanski confirmed the process was "very amicable."

Robinson won't be a full participant right away, and Stefanski said there will be a "ramp-up period" for him, but still, the head coach is happy to have his star back in the fold.

"Obviously, as a coach, you want to get your guys ready for the football season, and it allows us to get Bijan ready, and he's eager, beyond eager, to be out there."

An All-Pro, obviously, Robinson is talented, but everyone involved with the Falcons raves about his character. Being new to the team this year, Stefanski is getting to know him as a person as well. It didn't take long for him to realize Robinson is a special person as well as a player.

"When you start watching tape on another team, you typically start at the beginning and go to the end," Stefanski said on looking at the Falcons during the interview process. "So I watched every offense, defense, and special teams. Was it the second play or the third play he went 50 yards for a touchdown? So not long," Stefanski grinned about when he knew Robinson was a special player.

For the record, it was the third play of the season when Robinson took a screen pass 50 yards for a touchdown against the Buccaneers.

"The second part, I remember my first day here, got off the airplane, in the car heading over here, I was with somebody that was just extolling Bijan's virtue, his person. 'You're not going to believe it when you first meet him,' type of things. And I think it's true. He's wired the right way. He was raised the right way. He's a team guy all the way, and that can be rare sometimes in this day and age."

The Falcons have an unusual number of players who are scheduled to be free agents at the end of this year. At the start of training camp, that number stood at 44 out of 90 participants. With Bergeron and Robinson getting new deals this week, that number has dropped to 42.

Other key players playing on the final year of their deals include All-Pro safety Jessie Bates III and linebacker Divine Deablo, along with under-the-radar players like defensive lineman Zach Harrison and center Ryan Neuzil.

General manager Ian Cunningham has prioritized the offensive side of the ball and young players this offseason. Bergeron is the oldest of the quartet of Falcons at just 26 years old. It remains to be seen if and when he turns his attention to some of the older veterans on the other side of the line of scrimmage.

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