After assuring Falcons fans and owner Arthur Blank last night that a deal would come soon, general manager Thomas Dimitroff has locked up first-round pass rusher Vic Beasley to his rookie contract, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter).
With Beasley now under contract, the Falcons have secured all seven of their 2015 draft picks, becoming the latest team to do so. Fewer than 20 draftees around the NFL have yet to sign their rookie deals.
In Beasley’s case, his new four-year deal will be worth $14.495MM, according to Over The Cap’s data. That contract will also feature a signing bonus worth about $8.802MM and a fifth-year option for 2019, and will almost certainly be fully guaranteed, since the former Clemson edge defender was the eighth overall pick.
The Falcons have struggled to produce an effective pass rush over the last couple seasons, and the arrival of Beasley is expected to help improve that aspect of the defense. It will be interesting to see how new head coach Dan Quinn makes use of Beasley, who was considered one of the top edge rushers in this year’s draft.