Stunning Fact about Bijan Robinson's 5th Year Contract Option with Atlanta Falcons

The easiest decision new Atlanta Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham will ever make is pending. NFL teams have until May 1st to exercise the fifth-year option on the contracts of their first-round picks in 2023.

Atlanta's first-round pick in 2023 was running back Bijan Robinson, who was selected at No. 8. It's a matter of when, not if, Cunningham and the Falcons announce they've added the fifth year to Robinson's deal as he enters his fourth season in the NFL.

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As the No. 8 overall pick in 2023, Robinson got a contract that was slotted to match his lofty status as a top 10 pick. The money matched his draft position and ignored his playing position. He signed a four-year deal for a fully guaranteed $22 million.

However, and this is where it gets interesting, the fifth-year options on rookie contracts aren't based on their actual rookie contracts. They're based on the pay at the player's position. In this case: running back.

Pay Early, Save Later

One of the reasons taking a running back so high in the draft is frowned upon is that teams don't really get the benefit of the cost savings of the rookie deal, because running backs are inherently cheap.

That said, the Falcons are going to get a bargain on Robinson's fifth-year option, because at just $11.4 million, he's the cheapest fifth-year option in his entire first-round class.

Spotrac does an excellent job of explaining how the formula for the fifth-year option works, and it comes down to four tiers, all based on the player's position. The highest tier is a player being selected to two Pro Bowls, and the lowest tier is the five-year average for players No. 3 thru No. 25 at his position.

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Being that running backs are underpaid relative to other positions, and Robinson has one Pro Bowl nod compared to Jahmyr Gibbs, the other running back in the first round, getting two, and Robinson ends up being the cheapest contract in the first-round class of 2023.

While Robinson is the least expensive, Ravens receiver Zay Flowers is the most expensive. He has two Pro Bowls and plays a premium position. Flowers comes in at $28.04 million. Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who was linked heavily with the Falcons, also has two Pro Bowls and is second at $27.42 million.

Quarterbacks are the highest paid, and simply reaching the tier 3 playing time incentive means is going to be a hefty pay day. Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud come in at $27.2 million. Anthony Richardson was selected by the Colts at No. 4 and reached none of the thresholds, and Indianapolis would need to guarantee him $23.5 million to exercise his fifth year.

Relatively speaking, Robinson's $11.4 million in 2026 is still good money. That would put him top 10 among running backs in average salary. But there's a different class in the top two with Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey making $20.6 million and $19 million, respectively.

Anyone want to argue that those players are in a different class than Robinson, who just led the NFL in scrimmage yards?

The Falcons may not have saved a lot on Robinson's initial contract, but they're getting an absolute bargain in year five.