Central Plains FFA Chapter

08/04 13:34 CDT Falcons' Bijan Robinson agrees to a 3-year extension that makes him the NFL's top-paid running back Falcons' Bijan Robinson agrees to a 3-year extension that makes him the NFL's top-paid running back By CHARLES ODUM AP Sports Writer FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) --- The Atlanta Falcons have agreed to a three-year contract extension with Bijan Robinson through the 2030 season that makes the fourth-year player the NFL's highest-paid running back. Robinson reposted the NFL's Instagram post detailing the extension on Tuesday morning, writing "God this is for you! Blessings. Love this team and this city!" The extension is worth up to $75 million with incentives, with $51 million guaranteed. The base value of $66.75 gives Robinson a $22.25 million average per year that makes him the league's top-paid running back. Philadelphia running back Saquon Barkley's average is $20.6 million. "Obviously very excited for him, excited for us," Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski said Tuesday. NFL Network and ESPN first reported the extension. Robinson's agent, Nicole Lynn of Klutch Sports, posted on X on Tuesday morning "Anyone have a brinks truck?" while the Falcons posted a photo of a smiling Robinson. The deal with Robinson continued the Falcons' trend of locking up foundation players on their offense. On Saturday, the Falcons announced signing left guard Matthew Bergeron to a four-year contract extension. The team gave new contracts to wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts in the offseason. "It's all guys that we believe in, all guys that fit who we are," Stefanski said. The new deal comes after Robinson spent the first week of training camp, including Monday's first day in pads, as a spectator. He attended the practices but did not participate in an apparent contract "hold-in" as he seeks a new deal. "I just knew throughout this whole process that it would be a process and I felt good about where we were," Stefanski said. "I think everybody understands how we feel about Bijan the person and Bijan the player." Robinson joined practice on Tuesday as Stefanski and the Falcons no longer have to worry about their star running back's status for the season. "It means obviously as a coach, you want to get your guys ready for the football season and it allows us to get Bijan ready," Stefanski said. "And he's eager, beyond eager, to get out here. So on that note, we'll slowly get him back in there. ... We'll have a plan here for the next week to ramp him up." A panel of eight AP Pro Football Writers ranked Robinson the league's top running back in a preseason poll. Robinson led the NFL with 2,298 yards from scrimmage and scored 11 TDs last season. Robinson has been the focus of Atlanta's productive ground game since he was the No. 8 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. He flourished as a dual-threat back last season, finishing fourth in the league with 1,478 rushing yards while adding 820 receiving yards. Steven Jackson in 2006 is the only other player ever with at least 1,400 rushing yards and 800 receiving yards in the same season. ___ AP Sports Writers Rob Maaddi and Maura Carey contributed to this report. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL