FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – Now that the Falcons have Matt Ryan's new deal done, general manager Thomas Dimitroff can turn his attention to making sure other key players who are on the horizon for new contracts stay in Atlanta, like defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and left tackle Jake Matthews.
In an interview with 92.9 The Game's John Fricke and Hugh Douglas, Dimitroff mentioned those names as two players he would like to make sure remain a part of the Falcons for years to come.
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"We need to look where we are with how we are going to build this team," Dimitroff said. "We finished Matt's deal, but we have other people that are on the horizon with Grady Jarrett and our left tackle [Jake Matthews]. Those are two guys we really have to focus on. We're going to be smart about it."
Matthews was Atlanta's first-round pick in 2014 and is entering the final year of his rookie contract. The Falcons exercised their fifth-year option on Matthews last April after he's proven to be a key part of the team's offensive success over the past few seasons. He has only missed one game in his career in Atlanta and has started every game he's played since being drafted.
Jarrett has become one of the Falcons' best defensive players over the past two seasons. After a breakout performance in Super Bowl LI when he sacked Tom Brady three times, he had his best season to date in 2017, recording 55 tackles and four sacks.
