Falcons G.M. Thomas Dimitroff called a new contract for cornerback Desmond Trufant his top priority this offseason, and that contract got done on Saturday. Now it’s time for priority No. 2: A new deal for running back Devonta Freeman.
Dimitroff indicated last month that the Freeman deal could get done by the start of training camp.
“We will address this,” Dimitroff said on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “When you look at our history, we address these situations going into training camp. I’m throwing that out there as a general timeline. I don’t know when that exactly will be, but I’m confident that something can get wrapped up and he’s going to be part of us for years to come.”
Freeman’s agent says he wants to be paid “like the elite back he is,” and it’s possible Freeman and the Falcons will disagree on just how much an elite back deserves to get paid. After all, the running back market has been weak in the NFL this year, and the Falcons already have Tevin Coleman in place if Freeman were to walk after his contract expires following the 2017 season.
But the Falcons sound like they’re willing to pay Freeman something substantially more than the $1.8 million he’s due in 2017. Which would allow them to keep another important piece of the 2017 NFC champions in place.