Jetsfan80 Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 $15M signing bonus, $22M in guarantees. Steelers must be pissed right now. Le'Veon's demands just went up! http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000827390/article/devonta-freeman-falcons-agree-on-fiveyear-contract-extension Devonta Freeman, Falcons agree on five-year contract extension The Atlanta Falcons and two-time Pro Bowl running back Devonta Freeman have agreed to a five-year contract extension that makes him the NFL's highest-paid running back, a source informed of the situation told NFL Network's Michael Silver. The extension pays out $41.25 million. The Falcons confirmed the five-year extension. The former Florida State standout will take home an annual average of $8.25 million over the life of the deal. That's more than any other running back, pending Le'Veon Bell's anticipated acceptance of a one-year, $12.1 million offer from the Pittsburgh Steelers. (The Steelers used their franchise tag on Bell, but he has thus far declined to sign and remains away from training camp.) The extension includes $22 million in guarantees and a $15 million signing bonus, a source informed of the situation told NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport. "We are very pleased that we were able to get this extension done," Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said in a statement. "Devonta embodies everything we are looking for in a Falcon, and we are proud that he'll be able to spend his career here in Atlanta." A fourth-round draft pick in 2014, Freeman has scored 27 touchdowns over the past two seasons and had vastly outperformed his rookie deal, which was due to pay him $1.8 million in 2017. The new contract, which includes a $15 million signing bonus, will be tacked onto the final year of Freeman's rookie deal and runs through the 2022 season. "Everybody's happy," said Freeman's agent, Kristin Campbell. "I'm so excited for him. He's excited to be a Falcon for life. He loves the city. The organization's been great throughout the process. To have him be the highest-paid back after only three years is a testament to his achievement. Everyone's thrilled." Six days before Super Bowl LI, Freeman expressed a desire for a new deal, which became a major story during the days leading up to the game. The dual threat backed up his words with a strong performance in the Falcons' heartbreaking Super Bowl LI defeat to the New England Patriots, scoring the game's first touchdown and gaining 121 yards from scrimmage. Last month, as negotiations with the Falcons stalled, Freeman was prepared to play out his rookie deal and test the market -- or have the franchise tag placed upon him by the Falcons -- following the 2017 season. He spent $50,000 on a $10-million insurance policy to protect him in the event of a career-altering injury, all of which is now moot. Freeman, 25, will now command an annual average salary second only to Bell (unless Bell declines to sign his franchise tender and elects to sit out the season). For now, Freeman has the NFL's most lucrative deal among running backs, surpassing that of the Buffalo Bills' LeSean McCoy, whose average annual salary is a reported $8 million. Last January, Freeman admitted that he was "struggling" with his role in Atlanta's offense, which had him sharing the workload with Tevin Coleman, a third-round pick in the 2015 draft. Though Coleman remains an integral part of the Falcons' attack -- now under the guidance of offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, who replaced Kyle Shanahan after Shanahan was hired as the San Francisco 49ers head coach following the Super Bowl -- it's clear that the organization regards Freeman as its marquee back. Two seasons ago, the 5-foot-8, 206-pound Freeman made the Pro Bowl after gaining 1,056 yards on 265 carries and catching 73 passes for 578 yards. Last season, he ran for 1,079 yards on 227 carries and had 54 receptions for 462 yards, again earning a Pro Bowl selection. With Freeman's deal done, the Falcons can now turn their attention toward negotiating an extension for star quarterback Matt Ryan, the NFL's reigning MVP. Before February's Super Bowl, Falcons owner Arthur Blank told ESPN he expected to reward Ryan for his stellar 2016 season, saying, "He needs to be compensated well, certainly. And he will be." Ryan, 32, has two years left on the six-year, $103.75 million contract he signed in July 2013, a deal that included $59 million guaranteed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleedin Green Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 Freeman is a hell of a talent, but these days I'm not sure how much confidence you can have in these contracts for RBs. Not even from a perspective of just cost, but also length. Granted, in Freeman's case it helps that he's only 25, but adding another 5 years is still a scary proposition for any RB. There's a good chance he won't see the whole deal, but I think ideally you're probably looking to keep the deals relatively shorter for RBs once they're off their rookie deals, even if it increases the cost a little bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Integrity28 Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 I would seriously look into acquiring Tevin Coleman from them. Perhaps, since they are a SB contender, you can offer them Forte and a conditional 6th rounder. His veteran presence and pass-pro, pass-catching ability would help a contender more than us. Plus, it clears his salary out, and gives us Coleman, Powell and McGuire to ride into the future. Keeps us invested in youth, with their best football ahead of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chirorob Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 4 minutes ago, Bleedin Green said: Freeman is a hell of a talent, but these days I'm not sure how much confidence you can have in these contracts for RBs. Not even from a perspective of just cost, but also length. Granted, in Freeman's case it helps that he's only 25, but adding another 5 years is still a scary proposition for any RB. Granted there's a good chance he won't see the whole deal, but I think ideally you're probably looking to keep the deals relatively shorter for RBs once they're off their rookie deals, even if it increases the cost a little bit. He's 25, he got a bonus, they can probably get out of it by the time he is 28. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJoTownsell1 Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 3 minutes ago, Integrity28 said: I would seriously look into acquiring Tevin Coleman from them. Perhaps, since they are a SB contender, you can offer them Forte and a conditional 6th rounder. His veteran presence and pass-pro, pass-catching ability would help a contender more than us. Plus, it clears his salary out, and gives us Coleman, Powell and McGuire to ride into the future. Keeps us invested in youth, with their best football ahead of them. Did the Falcons hire Idzik as their GM? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerfish Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 A guy I wanted to draft in that draft year instead we took legends like amaro and mcdougall and then saunders one pick after freeman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleedin Green Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 2 hours ago, chirorob said: He's 25, he got a bonus, they can probably get out of it by the time he is 28. It's possible, but of course the longer contract means a bigger bonus, and also with it being a signing bonus it means a sizeable cap hit that would come with his release over the next few years, which often persuades a team to hold onto guys longer, regardless of whether that's a proper justification. Now don't get me wrong, this doesn't mean Freeman would have agreed to a shorter deal and/or smaller bonus, but as the NFL continues to change, second contracts have a tendency to have higher risk and lower reward for RBs than the rest of the positions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chirorob Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 Just now, Bleedin Green said: It's possible, but of course the longer contract means a bigger bonus, and also with it being a signing bonus it means a sizeable cap hit that would come with his release over the next few years, which often persuades a team to hold onto guys longer, regardless of whether that's a proper justification. Now don't get me wrong, this doesn't mean Freeman would have agreed to a shorter deal and/or smaller bonus, but as the NFL continues to change, second contracts have a tendency to have higher risk and lower reward for RBs than the rest of the positions. Yep, totally agree. I think they are willing to take the risk (well, they are) also because they are really close to winning a SB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JETSfaninNE Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 Well looks like the NFL RB salaries are back at 2005 levels. Except back then the salary cap was 80 million lol Going to be interesting what Bell and Johnson get now though since Freeman just set the market for them to go higher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt39 Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 The Falcons have a lot more good players than we do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgb Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 Bilal Powell holdout?Sent from my iPhone using JetNation.com mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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