Deadline deal done: Falcons, Grady Jarrett reportedly agree to 4-year, $68 million contract
The deadline for franchise-tagged players and their respective teams to agree to a long-term contract is Monday at 4 p.m. ET.
We saw a deal get done for one of the three remaining players who fell into this category — San Francisco and kicker Robbie Gould agreed to a two-year contract with an option for two more earlier Monday — and now we have a second.
The Atlanta Falcons and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett have reportedly beat the clock.
The third tagged player with an unresolved contract, Jadeveon Clowney, isn’t expected to have a long-term contract by the end of the business day with the general manager-less Texans.
Jarrett, Atlanta agree to 4-year deal
Via Adam Schefter of ESPN, Jarrett and the Falcons have agreed to a four-year, $68 million contract; it is not known as of this writing how much of that is guaranteed, which of course is the most important number in NFL contracts.
Update: NFL Network reports that $42.5 million is guaranteed, or a healthy 62.5 percent.
Among interior defensive linemen, the $17 million per year average for Jarrett is behind only the Philadelphia Eagles’ Fletcher Cox and the Los Angeles Rams’ Aaron Donald.
Jarrett signed his $15.209 million franchise tender in April, but that will be torn up with the long-term contract.
The 137th pick in the 2015 draft out of Clemson, Jarrett has not yet been named to a Pro Bowl but is an integral part of the Atlanta defense.
From cool to hot
Todd France, Jarrett’s agent, told D. Orlando Leadbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that negotiations between the sides were “cool” as of a couple of days ago but could “heat up” quickly.
France and the Falcons were meeting face-to-face on Monday and hammered out a deal amendable to both sides.
Since Jarrett is only 26 years old, if he plays out his new contract and continues to improve, he’ll have another shot at a significant contract after the 2022 season, when he’ll be just 30 years old.
He was the Falcons’ Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee last year.
More from Yahoo Sports:
