The Atlanta Falcons have locked in Bijan Robinson with a contract that changes the running back conversation across the league.
According to a report from Adam Schefter, Robinson and the Falcons agreed to a three-year extension worth up to $75 million with $51 million guaranteed. That makes him the highest-paid running back in NFL history and gives him the most lucrative deal the position has ever seen.
Robinson had been set to make $3.24 million this season and was projected for $11.3 million next season, but that timeline is now out the window. The new agreement is expected to replace the fifth-year option he was scheduled to play under in 2027 and keep him in Atlanta through the 2029 season.
The price tag matches the production. Robinson is coming off a first-team All-Pro season in 2025 and has built a case as the league’s top back.
Through his first three seasons, he has rushed for 3,910 yards and 25 touchdowns, while adding 1,738 receiving yards and nine more scores through the air. Last season, he led the NFL with 2,298 total yards, a total that ranks 12th all-time in league history.
“The physical skillset is obvious off the tape, and that’s something you see out there on the grass,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said about Robinson during mandatory minicamp. “Somebody that can affect the game in a multitude of ways.”
Robinson has delivered that impact while staying on the field. Since Atlanta drafted him eighth overall in 2023, he has piled up an NFL-leading 1,003 total touches and still managed to remain remarkably healthy.
The extension also fits a bigger pattern for the Falcons this offseason. Robinson is the third player they have signed to a major deal, joining wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. All three are under 26, and Atlanta now has a quarter of its expected salary cap tied to that trio.
Around the league, the running back market has been moving fast, but Robinson has now jumped to the top of it. Dolphins back De’Von Achane signed a four-year, $64 million extension with $32 million guaranteed, putting him third among running backs at $16 million per year. Breece Hall followed with a new three-year, $43.5 million deal and $29 million guaranteed, which made him the fourth-highest paid back at $15.25 million per year.
Before Robinson’s deal, Saquon Barkley of the Eagles led the way at $20.6 million, with Christian McCaffrey of the 49ers at $19 million. Now Robinson sits at the top, even if only briefly until Jahmyr Gibbs joins the list.
For the Falcons, the move means their franchise centerpiece is secured. For Robinson, it means the market now runs through him.
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