Ryan Schraeder, Falcons Agree on New Contract: Latest Details and Reaction

The Atlanta Falcons signed starting right tackle Ryan Schraeder to a five-year contract extension Monday, the team announced.

Adam Schefter of ESPN and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com first reported the deal. Per Rapoport, the contract is worth a maximum of $33 million over five years, with the base deal coming in at $32 million and a total of $12.5 million guaranteed.

Schraeder's extension doesn't come as much of a surprise. The right tackle has gone from being an undrafted free agent out of Valdosta State to one of the best right tackles in the NFL.

Sam Monson of Pro Football Talk ranked Schraeder as the 72nd-best player in the NFL last year, noting the following:

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Ryan Schraeder has improved each season of his NFL career, and in year three took a step towards being one of the best right tackles in the game. His run-blocking won't wow, but his pass-blocking was excellent, with the second-best pass-blocking efficiency rating of all tackles on either side of the line. The only player to pass-block more efficiently in 2015 was Cleveland LT Joe Thomas, and he was only beaten for two sacks all year, one of which came from J.J. Watt. The entire Falcons' O-line improved, but there may not have been a bigger jump than that of Schraeder's.

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This season, Pro Football Focus has ranked Schraeder the 13th best tackle in all of football.

Indeed, Schraeder has combined with left tackle Jake Matthews, center Alex Mack and guards Andy Levitre and Chris Chester to give Atlanta one of the best offensive lines in football.

While quarterback Matt Ryan, wideout Julio Jones and running backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman have gotten a lot of the credit for an offense first in points per game and third in yards per contest, the team's offensive line has been the foundation of that success, with Schraeder a key component.

Freeman was quick to credit the offensive line in early November.

"All the time, you always see the skill players—the quarterbacks, running backs, receivers—we all get the love," he told Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. "We all get the fame. I feel like the stuff that those guys up front... they're putting their bodies on the line for us to be successful."

To this point, the Falcons have certainly been successful, going 6-4 to start the season and residing atop the NFC South. Schraeder's extension is a clear acknowledgement from the Falcons that their right tackle has been a crucial part of that success.

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