The free agency frenzy is finished. The NFL Draft was officially wrapped up. Now it is time for the Atlanta Falcons to start handing out contract extensions to players already on the roster. The first up will be wide receiver Roddy White who is currently entering the final year of his deal and has zero intentions of leaving the team that drafted him in the first round back in 2005. The long-time Falcon deserves another multi-year deal but for how long and at what price?
White is set to make $5 million in the upcoming season with a cap hit of $6.35 million. The Falcons would ideally likely to White locked down to a new deal in order to lower his cap number. That would then open the door to begin negotiations with Julio Jones about his upcoming contract extension, but the team could struggle to figure out exactly what the 32-year-old is worth.
White is coming off of one of his worst seasons of his career. After not missing a single start for eight seasons, the veteran played just 13 games this year after suffering a high ankle sprain in the preseason and a hamstring injury mid-way through the year. When White was on the field, he was primarily used as a decoy and was barely active in the offense. He managed 711 yards and three touchdowns thanks to a small surge, but had his streak of six seasons with over 1,000 yards broken.
White is certainly on the wrong end of the NFL age scale but has told ESPN.com that he would ideally like to play three or four more seasons. So what is he worth? According to ESPN.com, White could likely earn a deal similar to what Reggie Wayne signed with the Indianapolis Colts. The veteran receiver is just a year older than White and signed a three-year extension worth $17.5 million with $7.5 million in guaranteed money. His cap figures are extremely reasonable and could be what the Falcons look to duplicate.
Last year's drop off will not play into the extension negotiations. The Falcons are extremely aware of just how valuable White is to the team and general manager Thomas Dimitroff has already said that they intend on keeping the receiver around for the remainder of his career, no matter what. Without White, Julio Jones led the NFL in receiving until his foot injury mid-way through the year. As a result, Harry Douglas was the team's leading receiver and Tony Gonzalez was double-teamed right into retirement.
The Falcons opted not to draft a wide receiver this season, having good faith a deal for White will get done. They are also banking on the health of Jones. He underwent foot surgery and the Falcons remain confident that the receiver will be fully healthy come the start of next season. The Falcons have picked up his fifth-year option worth $10 million securing his future until a lucrative deal is made.
If by any chance Jones is not ready to start the year, the Falcons could be forced to sign a free agent for the season to help with depth. After losing a few players in the offseason, the team could easily get someone like Santonio Holmes or Miles Austin if Jones is still completing rehab. That seems unlikely given Dimitroff has said the receiver has not suffered any setbacks, but after injuries killed the team's 2013 season, they will not let it happen again.
