The Falcons new regime has already handed out two contract extensions to foundational pieces of the team. Last offseason, the front office inked Jake Matthews and Grady Jarrett to extensions, keeping them in Atlanta through their primes, and there are several others up for new contracts this offseason. Chris Lindstrom is one of them, and there’s mutual interest from both sides.
“I want to be a Falcon for my whole career,” Lindstrom said via Sports Illustrated.
After being selected in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Lindstrom has done nothing but impress in the league, and he took a substantial step this year, becoming one of the best players at his position. It seems like it’s only a matter of time before the two sides work out a long-term deal.
“The team definitely knows I want to be here, my agent knows I want to be here, so I’m going to let them do their thing and earn their money,” Lindstrom continued.
Named a Pro Bowler for the first time in his career, Lindstrom has established himself among the best guards in football, and he’ll warrant that kind of money. He likely will have All-Pro honors on his resume to take to the negotiating table following the end of the season, so nobody should be surprised at the contract he garners.
Elgton Jenkins‘ four-year, $68 million deal with the Packers is a good ballpark for what Lindstrom will likely command. He’s not as versatile as Jenkins, who has seamlessly stepped in as a tackle in the past, so something in the area of a four to five-year deal worth $15 million AAV seems fair.
Chris Lindstrom has quickly supplanted Jake Matthews as the team’s best offensive lineman and rivals Grady Jarrett as the team’s best player in the trenches. Earlier in the season, I wrote about Lindstrom performing at an All-Pro level; all he did is continue the trend since then. He’s rated by many outlets, Pro Football Focus, in particular, as the best guard in the league.
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Photographer: Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire
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