What’s a potential Falcons contract extension for Drake London look like?

On the offensive side of the ball, a lot of the conversation surrounding the Falcons will revolve around Kyle Pitts, who is set to test unrestricted free agency following a bounce-back campaign in which he caught 88 balls for 928 yards and five touchdowns. Still just 25 years old after five years in the league, Pitts will garner a ton of interest from competing teams, and the new regime has at least publicly made it seem like they’d prefer to retain him.

But there are also looming contract extensions for two other top-10 selections on the offensive side — Drake London and Bijan Robinson. London is set to enter his fifth and final season on his rookie contract, making an extension a top priority of the offseason.

Two years ago, the former USC Trojan caught 100 balls for 1,279 yards and nine touchdowns. In terms of production, he was a top-five wide receiver in the league, even though he was not recognized with Pro Bowl or All-Pro honors.

The 2025 campaign was much of the same until injuries struck. Through Week 11 (nine games), Drake London had 810 receiving yards with six touchdowns, putting him on a 17-game pace for more than 1,500 yards and 11 touchdowns. Unfortunately, a PCL injury forced him to miss Weeks 12–15, and when he returned, it was evident he wasn’t quite 100%. But he still ended the season with nearly 1,000 receiving yards in just 12 games, continuing to prove he belongs in the conversation with the top wideouts in the game.

That’s a fun discussion for fans to have in support of London. Not many people outside of Atlanta probably recognize how dominant he’s become as a wide receiver until their team has to line up across from the Falcons on Sunday. However, that discussion isn’t nearly as fun for new general manager Ian Cunningham, who’s going to have to negotiate a healthy extension for Michael Penix Jr.’s top target.

The previous regime didn’t appear to grit its teeth much in the negotiating room with its marquee stars. Both A.J. Terrell and Chris Lindstrom were up for contract extensions under Terry Fontenot, and both received record-breaking deals at the time.

That’s not the worst way to approach things with franchise cornerstones. The more important aspect is timing. The sooner these deals get done, the more team-friendly they will appear in the future. There is always another star at the same position waiting to get paid, and when they do, the next guy is going to want more money. Things have operated like that in the NFL for a long time, and acting as if that’s going to change anytime soon would be foolish.

Both London and Robinson will receive top-of-market deals. Robinson has every right to demand a contract that makes him the highest-paid running back in the game. London might not be able to demand $40 million per season like Ja’Marr Chase received last offseason, but his agent certainly has every reason to bargain for at least $33 million AAV, which is what D.K. Metcalf received from the Steelers.

London is firmly a better wide receiver than D.K. Metcalf, and he’s done nothing but represent this organization well both on and off the field. Those are the types of players you don’t worry about pinching pennies with at the negotiating table.

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Photographer: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire

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