The Atlanta Falcons are set on keeping the Pro Bowl defensive tackle Grady Jarrett as the heart of their defense for years to come. On Wednesday, the franchise announced that Jarrett inked a three-year extension and he is now under contract through the 2025 NFL season.
The Falcons didn’t reveal the financial terms of the deal, but Jarrett is expected to receive $51 million in new money (incentives included) and $34.47 million in guarantees. He is slated to receive $16 million in 2022, although the majority of the salary was converted to a signing bonus for cap purposes.
Jarrett was Atlanta’s fifth-round pick in 2015 and didn’t wait for long before making his presence felt in the Falcons’ defense. The Clemson product became a starter in his sophomore year and only missed two games since then. He was a Pro Bowler in 2019 and 2020 and totaled 359 tackles and 26.5 sacks so far in the NFL.
The Falcons wanted to reward Jarrett for his good performances over the years, but this probably wasn’t the team’s only motivation behind the extension. Atlanta was in a salary cap squeeze to begin the offseason, but Jarrett’s new contract has got them an additional $10.9 million in cap space. This allows them to operate more freely for the rest of the season and perhaps even make some further moves to improve their roster.
