NFL rumors: Atlanta Falcons nearing deal on Devonta Freeman

Atlanta Falcons Pro Bowl running back Devonta Freeman is in the final year of his rookie contract. He’s in line for an extension that could be coming soon.

The Atlanta Falcons have to pick up the pieces after blowing a 28-3 lead in Super Bowl LI. They should be one of the more talented teams in the NFL this season, but the sting from that loss remains. No Falcons player has been more vocal about the loss than Pro Bowl running back Devonta Freeman.

It was Freeman who missed that key block in pass protection that forced the strip sack of MVP quarterback Matt Ryan by New England Patriots inside linebacker Dont’a Hightower. While most of the Falcons roster has taken the horrendous loss in stride, Freeman has stated that he would have been Super Bowl LI MVP had former Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan opted to pound the rock in the second half.

Nevertheless, Freeman is in the final year of his rookie contract. He was a former fourth round pick by the Falcons in the 2014 NFL Draft out of Florida State. In three years, Freeman has made two trips to the Pro Bowl, rushed for 2,383 yards and 23 touchdowns. As a receiver, Freeman has 157 catches out of the backfield for 1,265 yards and six touchdowns.

Over the last two years, Freeman has been one of the most productive running backs in the NFL. He just turned 25 years old, so he would theoretically play out the rest of his prime in an Atlanta uniform should he sign with the Falcons. Both parties want to get a deal done, so it would be shocking if Freeman plays 2017 on an expiring contract.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank has shown over the years that he will do his best players right by offering them a fair, above market extension for their services to the team. He’s done that for guys like Julio Jones, Matt Ryan, Desmond Trufant and even Roddy White back in the day.

From here, it is all about the language of the deal. It should be a multi-year deal that will pay Freeman handsomely. Few running backs in the league run as angry as he does. Even with a big boost in pay, he will be a driving force in the Falcons’ ground game.

It will be interesting to see how Atlanta handles its other great running back in Tevin Coleman, who will be a free agent in 2019. He was a former third round pick out of Indiana. While he was more productive in college than Freeman, Coleman hasn’t been to a Pro Bowl in his two years in Falcons uniform.

Keep in mind that Atlanta still needs to pay two other elite players in the coming years in former first-round picks in offensive tackle Jake Matthews and outside linebacker Vic Beasley. The Falcons wisely give Matthews the fifth-year option.

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He will be under contract with Atlanta through 2018. Beasley would likely fall in line with getting that fifth year option this year. He’ll be under contract with the Falcons through 2019. Look for more Falcons players to get paid after pen hits paper for Freeman in the coming days.