Going back to his first season in 2008, it has been common practice for Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff to put contracts on hold once the season starts.
The Falcons were extremely active this offseason working contract extensions for quarterback Matt Ryan, left tackle Jake Matthews and free safety Ricardo Allen.
They have had initial discussions with defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and his agent Todd France, but with the start of the season on Thursday night, those talks have been put on hold.
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In 2008, wide receiver Michael Jenkins and Jonathan Babineaux received contract extensions late in the season and Dimitroff has stuck to that pattern through right tackle Ryan Schraeder and cornerback Robert Alford’s extension in the 2016 season.
As the team was getting ready to take on Ryan’s hefty, six-year $150 million extension, there was not any room for extensions last season and the Falcons had to lose some quality players in free agency like defensive tackle Dontari Poe and defensive end Adrian Clayborn.
“There’s also a business element to it,” Dimitroff said on Sunday. “Dan and I spend a lot of time not only talking about this year but the next two, three, four years and beyond.
“We’re always talking about where we are with the development of our young guys and our young guys in general and where we are again from a business standpoint. Because we know there’s a lot on the plate in the years to come as far as how we manage the entire building of the roster.”
Jarrett was selected in the fifth-round of the 2015 draft out of Clemson.
He played immediately in the defensive tackle rotation. Jarrett started two of 15 games as a rookie before moving into the starting lineup in 2016.
Jarrett has played in 47 games and made 32 starts. He has eight sacks in career and is coming off a career-high four sacks in 2018.
France, of CAA and based in Atlanta, helped with the Ryan deal. Both sides have a good working relationship.
Jarrett, of Rockdale, has expressed his fondness for the franchise.
“I don’t see why anybody wouldn’t want to be a part of an organization where winning isn’t the goal, the standard,” Jarrett said. “We embrace it and we know that whatever team we step out of the field against we have a chance to win.”
Jarrett was not overly concerned when discussing the pending contract talks over the offseason.
“I’m just going to let that take care of itself,” Jarrett said recently. “I’m just going to focus on being the best player that I can be. But at the end of the day, that will work itself out.”
Recent deals for All-Pro defenders Aaron Donald and Khalil Mack have been lucrative.
After getting traded to the Bears, Mack signed a six-year, $141 million deal. Donald, who’s a defensive tackle like Jarrett, signed a six-year, $135 million deal with $87 million guaranteed.
Donald is a three-time All-Pro who has 39 sacks.
Mack plays defensive end and linebacker and is a two-time All-Pro with 40.5 sacks.
With a roster that looks like an NFC contender and possibly a Super Bowl team, the Falcons plan to turn their attention to the field.
“I think we’re a good football team and we’re really focused on looking at who we have on our roster right now,” Dimitroff said. “I continue to say Dan and his staff are so focused and what they do during the spring and into the fall now is I think second-to-none as far as their focus and determination to try to get the players to play as best as they can, the young guys along with the older guys. I think we’re in a really good spot.”
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