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The Atlanta Falcons have talked a lot about giving Devonta Freeman a new contract, so it wouldn't be a surprise if that happened fairly soon. It didn't occur at the beginning of camp, however, and so I resigned myself to wait for a while.
It appears the Falcons aren't planning to lowball Free, though, at the very least.
The Falcons & Freeman are still negotiating a possible five-year extension that would make him one of NFL's highest-paid backs @nflnetwork
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) July 28, 2017
Freeman should be paid like a top five back given his talent and production, so that is not a surprise. What is a surprise is that the Falcons are willing to go five years for a running back, particularly one who loves contact as much as Freeman does. You're not going to hear me complain whatsoever, though, and it's worth remembering that very few five year deals are guaranteed for five years.
The upshot of this, with Freeman saying all the right things about his contract status, is that a deal still feels inevitable. The team is giving Freeman the contract he's earned, and Freeman gets a chance to try to break franchise records and help propel this team to the Super Bowl once more. That feels like a win-win to me.