Jake Matthews is already the longest-tenured Atlanta Falcons on the roster today, and it appears that streak will continue for another couple of years.
Per Spotrac, the Falcons restructured Matthews’ deal again, freeing up $10.5 million in cap space in the process. Matthews’ cap hit in 2026 is now roughly $16.8 million, a hit that will balloon to $26.5 million in 2027 (with $20 million in dead money should they move on) and $28.5 million in 2028 (with $12 million in dead money). There’s also a 2029
void year at $3.5 million.
Matthews has been a fixture on this offensive line since his rookie season in 2014, and after missing one game that year, he has appeared in and started every single game the Falcons have played. That 195 game streak is not only the longest in Falcons history, but it’s the longest active streak in the NFL; Matthews has also appeared in more games for Atlanta than all but five other players. Despite that mileage his pass protection remains quite good, and though his run blocking is usually somewhere closer to passable these days, he’s been a quality starting tackle basically his entire run.
As Aaron Freeman notes, this is a strong indicator the Falcons expect Matthews to play two more seasons for them. This makes sense given Matthews’ durability and the fact that his play has not sharply declined, but remains a risky bit of business because Matthews is 34 and there are no guarantees the next two years will see him stay at his useful status quo.
Clearly it’s a risk the Falcons are comfortable taking, and one that gives him them some cap space to continue to attack free agency and add pieces, including (I hope) replacements for the recently departed duo of David Onyemata and Kaden Elliss. Matthews will settle back in at his familiar spot as the starting left tackle in 2026 and hope to further burnish his legacy, while Atlanta should strongly consider drafting a tackle so they’re ready for the day that he hangs up those cleats.
