Roddy White set to get extension from Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White (84) catches the ball between San Francisco 49ers cornerback Tramaine Brock (26) and inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman (53) during the fourth quarter of the final regular season game at Candlestick Park. The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34-24. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
The 2013 season was one to forget for the Atlanta Falcons, as they finished 4-12 after coming into the season with playoff aspirations and a 2012 NFC Championship Game appearance under their belts. Injuries destroyed the Falcons season, as Julio Jones was lost for the year due to an injury, Roddy White was hobbled with nagging injuries for almost the entire year, Sam Baker’s injury made a bad offensive line almost unworkable, and the defense was both hobbled and wildly ineffective.
White had an especially disappointing year due to nagging injuries, but he was as lights-out as ever when he was healthy. Against the Buffalo Bills, White hauled in ten passes for 143 yards, and this performance finally signified a return to health. So White was essentially playing hurt or out with an injury until December, and that’s when he started to kill it. He never had a game with less than five receptions or 50 yards in the last five games of the season, and he had four games with at least eight catches, including two games with over 140 yards. He and Matt Ryan nearly led upset wins over the San Francisco 49ers and Carolina Panthers in the final two games, as White caught beautiful TD passes from the Falcons star QB in both games and combined for 20 receptions and 232 yards in both games.
After the 2014 season, White will hit free agency, and he’s set to make $5 million. That and the fact that he’s a crucial star on the Falcons makes him a prime candidate for a contract extension, and I would be shocked if he and the Falcons can’t get a deal done. It sounds like the Falcons are going to start early, as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s D. Orlando Ledbetter reports that Thomas Dimitroff stated that the team is “looking forward” to extending White. He’s going to make a good deal of money, but we’ll see if he gives the Falcons a hometown discount in order to continue his career with the Falcons and play with Jones and Ryan.