The Falcons continue to take care of business off the field to ensure their best players will remain with the team in the years to come. On Monday, it was safety Ricardo Allen's turn to sign an extension.
As the team announced, Allen and the Falcons agreed to a three-year extension. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed in the announcement, but it'll be worth $19.5 million, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, who was the first to report the extension.
Allen is the third key player the Falcons have extended this offseason. First, it was star quarterback Matt Ryan who signed a $150 million deal in May. Then, in late July, it was stud left tackle Jake Matthews' turn to sign an extension. His was worth five years and $75 million. In between those two signings, the Falcons gave superstar wideout Julio Jones an adjusted deal. Now, Allen is getting paid.
Keeping Allen around and happy makes a ton of sense for a team in the middle of their Super Bowl window. Drafted in the fifth round in 2014, Allen's turned into one of the game's better safeties. He's appeared in 46 of 48 games over the past three seasons, racking up 158 solo tackles, 10 passes defended, and six interceptions. During the team's playoff run in 2016, he snagged two picks in three games. Allen's an important piece of a budding defense that ranked ninth in yards allowed and eighth in points allowed a season ago.
Such a key extension. Inside the Falcons locker room, Ricardo Allen is one of the team’s most respected leaders. An integral part of that defense and team culture. https://t.co/uOj9p8vs5y
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) August 6, 2018
The Falcons might not be done handing out extensions. Grady Jarrett, one of the game's top defensive tackles, is in the middle of the final year of his rookie contract that'll pay him only $2 million this season. He should be the team's next target.
After making sure their core will be around for a few more seasons, the Falcons should be regarded as a staying power in a crowded NFC. They've made the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, but have seen both of their playoff runs end in heartbreaking fashion. If things can break just a tad differently in the years to come, they might just be able to cash-in on their recent run of success with a Super Bowl.
