Atlanta Falcons Should Fast-Track New Drake London Contract

The Atlanta Falcons have invested heavily on the offensive side of the ball under general manager Terry Fontenot, including last year’s No. 8 overall pick Michael Penix Jr. 

With players like wide receiver Drake London and running back Bijan Robinson around, it should afford Fontenot the luxury of using his first round pick on a defensive-difference maker at April’s NFL Draft.

In 2024, his third in the NFL, London had a breakout year where he smashed through the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the first time, and wound up listed 31st on Pro Football Focus’s (PFF) top 101 players of last season.

“He surpassed the 90.0 PFF receiving grade threshold for the first time in his career, establishing himself as a premier playmaker,” wrote PFF of London’s 2024 campaign. “The 23-year-old receiver excelled at fighting through contact and winning at the catch point, finishing in the top five among wide receivers in both contested catches (22) and explosive receptions (33).”

London finished the season with 100 catches for 1,271 yards and 9 touchdowns - all career highs. 

While the bulk of London's totals were compiled with Kirk Cousins under center, he was even more effective in Penix’s three starts to close the season with 17 catches for 293 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Pro Football Network has been quick to point out that getting ahead of the market and extending London’s contract becomes a no-brainer for the Falcons front office.

“That means it’s time for the Atlanta Falcons to pay up for the former top-10 overall pick,” wrote PFN. London still has a fifth-year option for 2026 that the Falcons will surely exercise. However, Atlanta would be wise not to wait that long to extend London, a la the Bengals with Ja’Marr Chase. The wide receiver market has steadily risen in recent years, and the likes of Chase, Tee Higgins, and Garrett Wilson will only push that market higher.”

The market is only going to get higher for wide receivers in the very-near future. London is an ascending player who not only puts up stats, but is one of the leaders on the field. He is entering the fourth-year of his rookie contract, and his fifth-year option is scheduled to be $17 million in 2026.

That number jumps to $23 million if he makes a Pro Bowl. The Falcons can lower those numbers with an extension as Kirk Cousins’s money comes off the books. That coincides with the final-two years of the benefits of Penix’s rookie contract.

Atlanta is tight on available salary-cap space for 2025, but with the right moves, they can be flush cash in 2026 and beyond, while maintaining their young core of players they invested heavily on in the NFL Draft.