Bijan Robinson did almost everything an NFL player could do during the 2025 season.
He rushed for 1,478 yards, caught 79 passes for another 820 yards and finished with a league-leading 2,298 yards from scrimmage. He broke Atlanta’s single-season franchise record, produced the longest rushing touchdown in Falcons history and earned first-team All-Pro recognition.
Robinson was not simply the best player on the Atlanta Falcons. He had a legitimate argument for being the best running back in football.
The Falcons rewarded him accordingly.
Atlanta signed Robinson to a three-year extension with a base value of $66.75 million and a potential maximum value of $75 million. The contract included $51 million guaranteed and an average annual value of $22.25 million.
For two days, that made Robinson the NFL’s highest-paid running back. Detroit then gave Jahmyr Gibbs an extension averaging $22.5 million per year, moving Robinson into second place by a difference of only $250,000 annually.
The larger point remains unchanged: Atlanta is paying Robinson like one of the most valuable offensive players in football.
Now the Falcons must prove that having the league’s best running back can produce something more meaningful than impressive individual statistics on a subpar team.
Robinson Was Great—The Falcons Were Not
Atlanta finished the 2025 season with an 8-9 record, placed third in the NFC South and missed the playoffs again.
That happened despite Robinson producing one of the greatest offensive seasons in franchise history.
He averaged 135.2 yards from scrimmage per game and accounted for more than 40 percent of Atlanta’s total yards from scrimmage. Approximately one out of every three Falcons offensive plays ended with Robinson carrying the ball or catching a pass.
Those numbers are remarkable.
They are also troubling.
When one player produces more than 40 percent of an offense’s yardage and the team still finishes below .500, it suggests the organization has become too dependent on individual brilliance.
Robinson did his part. The Falcons simply did not turn his production into enough victories.
That is the uncomfortable reality behind Atlanta’s decision to make him one of the two highest-paid running backs in the league. The Falcons are not paying him to make fantasy football owners happy, create viral highlights or lead the NFL in scrimmage yards.
They are paying him to help transform Atlanta into a winner.
Can a Running Back Carry an Average Team?
The NFL has spent years reducing the financial value of running backs.
Teams have become reluctant to give the position long-term contracts because running backs absorb tremendous physical punishment, often experience shorter career peaks and usually depend on the offensive line to create opportunities.
The passing game has also become increasingly important. A franchise quarterback can change an organization. An elite pass rusher can destroy an opponent’s game plan. A shutdown cornerback can eliminate half the field.
Even a great running back can be neutralized when his team falls behind and is forced to abandon the running game.
Robinson is different because he is much more than a traditional runner.
His 820 receiving yards in 2025 were the second most among NFL running backs. He can line up in the backfield, move into the slot, catch screens, run routes and turn short passes into explosive plays.
He became the only player in NFL history to record at least 1,400 rushing yards and 810 receiving yards in the same season.
That versatility makes him easier to justify financially. Atlanta is not paying Robinson merely to take handoffs. It is paying for a player who functions as a runner, receiver and centerpiece of the entire offense.
But even that may not be enough if the rest of the team fails to improve.
The Falcons Must Stop Asking Bijan to Do Everything
Robinson touched the ball 366 times during the 2025 season.
That workload produced historic results, but Atlanta must be careful. The goal should not be to squeeze even more production out of its most valuable offensive player. The goal should be to make his existing touches more effective while receiving greater contributions from everyone around him.
The arrival of Brian Robinson Jr. should help. He can handle some of the physical work between the tackles, keep Bijan fresh and give Atlanta a second option when defenses focus entirely on No. 7.
Drake London, Kyle Pitts and the rest of the receiving group must also punish opponents for crowding the line of scrimmage.
Most importantly, the Falcons need dependable quarterback play.
Whether Michael Penix Jr. or Tua Tagovailoa wins the starting job, Atlanta needs a passing game capable of forcing defenses to respect the entire field. If opponents can devote extra defenders to stopping Robinson without fearing the quarterback, even the NFL’s best running back will eventually encounter limits.
Robinson should remain the centerpiece of the offense. He should not have to be the entire offense.
Kevin Stefanski Has the Right Player for His System
New Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski has traditionally built his offense around the running game, outside-zone concepts and play-action passing.
Robinson appears ideally suited for that approach.
He has the vision to identify cutback lanes, the patience to allow blocks to develop and the acceleration to turn a small opening into a long touchdown. New offensive coordinator Tommy Rees is also introducing more screen passes and a broader mixture of gap and power running concepts.
Those changes could make Robinson even more difficult to defend.
The key is whether Stefanski can make Robinson’s greatness benefit the entire offense.
An effective running game should create easier throws for the quarterback. Robinson’s presence should attract defenders and open space for London and Pitts. His ability as a receiver should force linebackers into uncomfortable coverage assignments.
If Stefanski uses Robinson to create opportunities for everyone else, the contract could become one of the smartest investments Atlanta has made.
If the Falcons simply continue handing him the ball and hoping he rescues an otherwise inconsistent team, they will waste both his talent and his prime.
Is Bijan Worth the Money?
Based on his individual performance, Robinson has earned his contract.
He has increased his rushing production each season, accumulated 5,648 yards from scrimmage through his first three years and established himself as one of the most dangerous all-purpose players in football.
He is young, productive, durable and capable of affecting the game in multiple ways.
The question is not whether Robinson deserves to be paid.
The question is whether the Falcons have constructed a team good enough to make paying an elite running back worthwhile.
A rebuilding team with major weaknesses at quarterback, along the offensive line or on defense might be better served investing its resources elsewhere. A playoff contender with a player like Robinson can use him as the final piece that makes an already strong offense nearly impossible to defend.
Atlanta currently sits somewhere between those two situations.
The Falcons have talent, but an 8-9 record is still an 8-9 record. They have not earned the right to describe themselves as contenders simply because their best player produces spectacular highlights.
Greatness Needs to Produce Wins
Bijan Robinson may be the best running back in the NFL.
His statistics support the argument. His contract confirms that Atlanta views him as a foundational star. His combination of rushing ability, receiving production and explosiveness makes him different from almost every player at his position.
But football does not award championships for individual yardage.
Robinson led the entire league in yards from scrimmage, and the Falcons still finished with a losing record.
That is not an indictment of Robinson. It is an indictment of the team around him.
Atlanta has already paid its superstar. Now the organization must provide the quarterback play, blocking, coaching and defense necessary to make his greatness matter.
If the Falcons return to the playoffs, Robinson’s massive extension will look like the price of securing a rare offensive weapon.
If Atlanta remains a subpar team, it will become another example of an NFL franchise paying one player like a champion without building a championship team around him.
