Falcons running back Bijan Robinson and wide receiver Drake London are among premier NFLers who are unsigned past next season. Unsurprisingly, however, rookie general manager Ian Cunningham wants to keep the pair around beyond then. Cunningham said the focus will likely turn to extensions for the two after next month’s draft, per Marc Raimondi of ESPN.
As the eighth pick in the 2023 draft, Robinson entered the NFL with considerable hype. The former Texas Longhorn has more than lived up to it. While Robinson finished 24 rushing yards shy of 1,000 as a rookie, he surpassed the 1,400 mark in each of the past two seasons. Robinson has also hauled in 198 catches, including 79 last year, and totaled 34 touchdowns (25 rushing, nine receiving). The 5-foot-11, 215-pounder has paired his stellar production with impressive durability, having played in 51 straight games to begin his career.
With 1,478 ground yards in 2025, Robinson finished second in the league. He piled up another 820 yards through the air, good for 20th overall, and found the end zone 11 times (seven rushing, four receiving). Robinson not only picked up his second Pro Bowl nod, but he was a first-team All-Pro running back and a second-team All-Pro as an all-purpose player.
If the Falcons do not extend Robinson by May 1, they will have his 2027 fifth-year option as a fallback plan. Picking that up for $11.32MM will be an easy decision for Cunningham and president of football Matt Ryan. An extension will be far more expensive, especially with the salary cap continuing to rise. The Saints’ Travis Etienne and the Packers’ Josh Jacobs pace the league’s running backs in total value ($48MM). The Eagles’ Saquon Barkley ($20.6MM) and the 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey ($19MM) lead in average salary, while the former is tops at the position in guarantees ($36MM). Robinson, like Lions extension candidate and fellow 2023 first-rounder Jahmyr Gibbs, has a legitimate argument to go by all of them.
Likewise, London has a case to become one of the league’s highest-paid players at his position. There should be more urgency on the Falcons’ part to lock up London, a 2022 first-rounder (No. 8) who is on track to play his fifth-year option season in 2026. Indeed, Cunningham said Monday that a London extension is “on top of mind.”
London averaged a solid 70 catches, 886 yards and three touchdowns per season over his first two years, but the ex-USC standout morphed into a star producer in 2024. He posted 100 catches, 1,271 yards and nine TDs that year. While a knee injury held London out of five games last year, the 6-4, 215-pounder remained a force when healthy. Playing his age-24 season, London amassed 68 receptions, 919 yards and seven scores in 12 contests.
London has thrived despite lackluster quarterback play, which the Falcons hope changes with the addition of Tua Tagovailoa in free agency. Regardless, London is on a collision course with a mega-extension or the franchise tag by next March.
Coming off an Offensive Player of the Year-winning season, Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba signed a record-setting extension last week. On his four-year deal, JSN leads his position in total money ($168MM), average annual value ($42.15MM) and guarantees ($120MM-plus). London may not do that well, but he could at least become the latest wideout to approach or exceed $35MM per season on a multiyear pact.
Make it happen•
With both injury proned QB’s 1& 2 to be QB.