Michael RothsteinESPN Staff Writer12:11 PM ET2 Minute Read
The Atlanta Falcons are extending Pro Bowl right guard Chris Lindstrom by five years, the franchise announced Monday.
The deal is for five years and $105 million, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Jeremy Fowler, making him the NFL’s highest-paid guard and he will now keep him at the club through the 2028 season.
His $21 million annual average surpasses Indianapolis Colts guard Quenton Nelson’s $20.2 million annual average as the highest for a guard in NFL history. Only Lindstrom and Nelson’s AAV exceeded $20 million.
Lindstrom, 26, was Atlanta’s 2019 first-round draft pick from Boston College and one of several family members who would go on to play in the NFL, including his father Chris.
After starting five games in his rookie year, he’s been in the lineup in every game for the Falcons for the past three seasons, a mainstay on Atlanta’s offensive line. Lindstrom is a clear technician, having been called up for a holding penalty in his four-year career – and that came in 2022.
“Chris is such a tech and there’s a lot of stuff in there about hand placement and where it’s — this, you’re out in space or whatever the optics of it are, but Chris is doing a good job,” the Falcons head coach said Arthur Smith in January. “He works really hard at his craft; he has fast hands and you can see how he hits. He plays right and his hands are usually in.”
According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Lindstrom had a 92.7 pass block win rate and a 73% run block win rate last season.
By extending Lindstrom, Atlanta is suspending two of its core offensive line assets – left tackle Jake Matthews and Lindstrom – until possibly 2026.
Lindstrom said after the season he wanted to stay in Atlanta — he’s entering his fifth option year — and that he hoped the franchise and its agents could make something happen.
“I want to be here,” Lindstrom said in January. “I want to be a hawk throughout my career.”