Falcons extend S Allen for three years, reported $19.5M
The Atlanta Falcons have agreed to terms on a three-year extension with free safety Ricardo Allen, the team announced Monday.
According to multiple reports, the deal is worth $19.5 million.
A restricted free agent this offseason, Allen was tendered by the Falcons at the second-round level, and he signed the $2.914 million tender in June. Before the extension, he was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next spring.
NFL Network reported last week the Falcons planned to discuss extensions with Allen and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, after previously locking up quarterback Matt Ryan and left tackle Jake Matthews and giving wideout Julio Jones a bump in his 2018 salary.
Allen, 26, was a fifth-round pick as a cornerback in 2014, but he has played primarily as the single-high safety in Dan Quinn's Cover-3 heavy defense since the head coach arrived in 2015. Allen has intercepted six passes and defended 10 while starting 45 games over the last three seasons, adding in 212 tackles in that span.
With Allen locked up, Jarrett appears to be next on the Falcons' priority list. The 25-year-old will make $1.9 million in the final year of his rookie deal this season, more than three times his 2017 salary.
A fifth-round pick in 2015, Jarrett tallied 4.0 sacks on 13 quarterback hits, along with a team-high 15 tackles for loss, in 2017, starting all 16 games for the first time in his career. He has 8.0 sacks through three seasons while missing only one game, and he racked up 3.0 sacks in Super Bowl LI against the New England Patriots.
--Field Level Media
