Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett | Wikimedia Commons
Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett | Wikimedia Commons
The Atlanta Falcons have signed defensive tackle Grady Jarrett to a three year-contract extension, the team said in a news release.
Jarrett's current contract expires this year, and the extension is reportedly worth up to $51 million, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported, according to the Falcons.
Jarrett has been a cornerstone of the Falcons defense since he was drafted in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft and continued to shine for them last season even though his sack number was down from seasons past.
"The thing you have to be able to do is you have to have somebody to put next to (Jarrett)," defensive coordinator Dean Pees said at the end of the 2021 season. "... The thing is that we just need more. We need to develop pass rushers. That'll help Jarrett if all of this pressure isn't necessarily put on him."
The Falcons rotation along the defensive line now includes Jarrett, Marlon Davidson, Anthony Rush and Ta'Quon Graham, with the addition of Vincent Taylor on a one-year deal last month.
"We love Grady... I love Grady," Falcons head coach Arthur Smith said in March, according to the Falcons. "We'd love to keep coaching him."
Prior to his re-signing, some had questioned if Jarrett fit the mold of what the defensive coordinator likes to see for the interior of his defensive front.