Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons front office handed out four big-money deals this offseason. The contracts for wide receiver Drake London, tight end Kyle Pitts and running back Bijan Robinson all got a lot of attention, even if some believe there were overpays involved.
The fourth has largely flown under the radar thanks to the position that Matthew Bergeron plays. He has re-signed on a four-year, $96 million deal that gets him into the club with Chris Lindstrom as one of the league's highest-paid guards.
Some folks are expecting a breakout year from Bergeron, though. Pro Football Focus has named him Atlanta's best breakout candidate going into the 2026 season.
"..He has already played more than 3,000 snaps in his career and has earned PFF overall
grades above 70.0 in back-to-back seasons. Bergeron has consistently graded better as a run blocker than in pass protection, but he has also earned PFF pass-blocking grades above 65.0 in each of the past two seasons. He allowed 28 pressures across 519 pass-blocking snaps in 2025."
Naturally, you'd hope that a player you gave $60 million guaranteed had already broken out, and you can make a case that Bergeron did in 2025 - even if nobody in the national media took notice.
Even if you don't believe he has, keep in mind that Bergeron is still just 26 years and and his best football is more than likely still ahead of him.
If it's not Bergeron, the Falcons have to be hoping that one of their young edge rushers is their breakout year. They have four new free agents joining the unit and Bralen Trice still to make his NFL debut.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: PFF names Falcons' breakout candidate for 2026 season
