Late last night, the Falcons first significant move of the offseason was announced, a two-year extension for their stalwart offense tackle Jake Matthews that will pay him $45 million.
Matthews, who is 33-years-old and the longest standing member of the Atlanta Falcons is now under contract through the 2028 season. He might not be the league’s top offensive tackle, but he’s still well above average at the position, and most importantly, he doesn’t miss games. Over his 11-year career, Matthews has missed just one game, which came back in 2014, his rookie season.
Also notable, by reworking Matthews’ contract, the Falcons are now under the 2025 salary cap. His new deal saves Atlanta just north of $7 million. His previous contract had him counting close to $22 million against the salary cap; now, it will be around $15 million.
Even still, the Falcons don’t have much room to maneuver with free agency set to begin. They’ll have to re-work a number of contracts, cut others, and potentially trade a few as well if they really want to get aggressive this offseason and make some significant additions to the defensive side of the ball.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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