Monday afternoon, the Atlanta Falcons and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett agreed to terms on a new four-year, $68 million dollar contract with $42 million dollars guaranteed.
March 4th, the Falcons placed the franchise tag on Jarrett, giving both parties until July 15th at 4pm to agree on a long-term contract. Jarrett signed the $15.209 million tender offer April 22nd while placing faith in the process. Owner Arthur Blank proclaimed Jarrett would be a “Falcon for Life.”
“As we have said since the end of the season, getting a deal done with Grady has been a priority and we are pleased to have accomplished that today,” Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said in a statement following the agreement. “Grady is an integral part of our organization and we look forward to moving together for many years to come.”
Jarrett was selected in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft out of Clemson University. Jarrett rose to prominence due to his stellar performance in Super Bowl LI in which he sacked Patriots quarterback Tom Brady three times, Jarrett has earned a combined 10 sacks over the past two seasons, including a career-best six in 2018.
Jarrett has also been a valuable run stuffer for the Falcons, recording 179 tackles, 31 tackles for a loss and three forced fumbles in his four NFL seasons.
According to Pro Football Focus, Jarrett ranked in the top 20 at his position in run-stop percentage (9.7%) and pass-rushing productivity (6.9). He earned a 91.0 overall grade, ranking among the best interior defenders in the NFL.
The Atlanta Falcons will begin training camp Thursday as the rookies report. The veterans will report Sunday and practices will begin Monday at Flowery Branch.
