Falcons give Bijan $51 million guaranteed

Rapoport adds that he “wouldn’t be surprised” if Gibbs isn’t at practice until they get real significant progress on a contract extension. Gibbs has passed his conditioning test but is currently a hold-in. Rapoport adds that “it would make sense” for Robinson to get the first contract of the two, but concedes that “it’s safe to say it’s up in the air right now.”

Neither Robinson nor the team can say outright that Robinson is “holding in,” but that’s what is happening here. The same is true of Jahmyr Gibbs, who is also sitting out of practice. Both players are under contract for two more seasons, the second of which is a fifth-year option that has already been exercised by their respective teams. Robinson is coming off another elite rushing season that saw him hit 1,478 yards and seven scores. He also took his receiving output to another level, reeling in 79 passes for 820 yards and four scores. The increase in passing game usage should be enough to make him the league’s highest-paid running back. Saquon Barkley currently makes over $20 million per year, and Robinson will likely exceed that mark when he and the Falcons finally reach an agreement.

Fowler notes that both Gibbs and Falcons RB Bijan Robinson are eligible for extensions right now. Both players will likely reset the market. Whichever player signs second could end up making more money. Fowler adds that some around the league believe Gibbs “is the very best, No. 1 running back in the entire NFL.” Both players are in contention for the overall RB1 spot in fantasy this year.

The NFL announced that the Bengals and Falcons will play in Madrid for Week 9 of the 2026 season. It is the NFL’s second time having a game in Madrid, reaching a deal earlier this year to play more games at Bernabeu Stadium, home of the Real Madrid soccer club. Burrow will play his first career international game, the Bengals’ first in seven years. Meanwhile, Bijan Robinson and the Falcons will return overseas after playing in Berlin last year. Both teams will hope to be contending in their division at this halfway-point in the season after both missed the playoffs last season.

Robinson has totaled more than 1,450 scrimmage yards in all three pro seasons, most recently churning out 2,298 scrimmage yards, 11 touchdowns and 79 receptions last year. Robinson was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team in 2023, is a two-time defending Pro Bowl player and last year earned first-team All-Pro honors as a running back and second-team All-Pro honors as an all-purpose player. The front office could put off a long-term contract extension until next offseason, but getting one done before the 2026 season begins would likely save them money down the road. He will contend for the 1.01 spot in fantasy drafts this year.

London said the team remains focused on free agency and adds that an extension for London, along with RB Bijan Robinson, may not receive more focus until after the draft. London is in the final year of his rookie contract and caught 68 passes for 919 yards and seven touchdowns last season. The former No. 8 overall pick has one 1,000-yard season on his resumé and has dealt with a mixed bag at quarterback since entering the league in 2022. This is the second time this offseason that Cunningham has mentioned extending London, so we would expect a deal to get done sooner than later.

It’s backup money, and Robinson will now caddy for Bijan Robinson after spending the 2025 season behind Christian McCaffrey. It’s not great news for Robinson’s fantasy prospects barring an injury to Robinson. It’s also not incredible news for Robinson’s fantasy prospects that the Falcons managed to replace Tyler Allgeier with an above-average backup that is worthy of work. What it is? A good signing for the price by a team that needed another running back. And a confusing grouping of B.Robinsons for inexperienced fantasy football managers to have to remember.

It’s well short of what Allgeier was reportedly expecting — something in the range of $22 million over three seasons. He lands in a crowded Arizona backfield alongside Trey Benson and James Conner, who recently took a pay cut to remain with the Cardinals in 2026. Allgeier rushed 210 times for 1,035 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie in 2022 before being replaced as the Falcons’ lead back by Bijan Robinson in 2023. His peripherals fell off a cliff in 2025, as he averaged a career-low 3.6 yards per carry and average 0.11 broken tackles per rush, which ranked 49th out of 66 qualifying running backs. Allgeier will likely split backfield duties in Arizona and will remain as touchdown dependent as any back in fantasy football.

Who the Falcons will face has yet to be announced. The Madrid game will be among the league’s many international contests during the 2026 regular season. Last year the Falcons played the Colts in the first-ever-NFL regular season game in Berlin. This one will feature an Atlanta team under new head coach Kevin Stefanski, perhaps working with a new quarterback after Michael Penix showed in 2025 that he’s likely not a starting-caliber NFL QB.

The Falcons gave Robinson 366 touches in 2025, third in the league behind Jonathan Taylor (369) and Christian McCaffrey’s league-leading 413. Tyler Allgeier is a free agent and Stefanski’s teams have heavily emphasized the run. While we’re not saying that Robinson is a sure bet for an increase — it’s hard to call any player with 366 touches as “due” for more work — it does appear to at least be on the table. That would only strengthen his case to go 1.1 in most standard drafts in 2026.