The Atlanta Falcons have secured starting left tackle Jake Matthews for the foreseeable future by agreeing to a three-year contract extension, a source told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Monday.
A source told Fowler that the extension would net Matthews over $18 million for the season.
This was first reported by the NFL Network.
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Drafted in the first round in 2014, Matthews, 30, has been a mainstay left tackle ever since he was drafted. He has played—and started—in all but one game since being selected No. 6 overall, having played 98% or more of Atlanta’s offensive snaps in each of the last five seasons.
“Jake is quietly minding his own business and he’s just as underappreciated or unsung as anyone else,” quarterback Matt Ryan said last season. “He is tenacious. I mean, he’s on the field every week and he’s just technically sound, he’s got really good technique when it comes to passing defense, really good technique in the running game.”
“Plays hard for us. He is a great leader who leads by example. It has a really good pattern of how it’s done, week after week, that young guys can look at and say how you do it, and I think it’s been really good for us.”
Matthews, a 2018 Pro Bowl selection, had two years left on his current contract, including a planned $23,689,200 for the 2022 season, a figure that is likely to decrease with his renewal.
Matthews was due to earn $12.5 million base salary in 2022 and $14 million base salary in 2023 before renewal.