Thomas Dimitroff 'Confident' Falcons Will Sign Devonta Freeman to New Contract

Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff is "confident" the organization will be able to work out a long-term contract extension with running back Devonta Freeman.         

On Saturday, Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com passed along comments Dimitroff made on SiriusXM's Schein on Sports about the situation.

"Like I've said before, we want him here, and he's a very important part of our organization. Contrary to what people were saying around the Super Bowl time with what came out, we're ready in the relatively near future to have some discussions with their representation," he said. "Devonta, he's a really good guy, he's really—as far as his personality—he's so hyper competitive."

The GM added: "He's an urgent, angry runner, which we want and we know is important for us. We want him to be around for years to come, and we're confident that we'll be able to get it done."

Freeman's future became a talking point ahead of Super Bowl LI in Houston because of pointed remarks his agent, Kristin Campbell, made to Michael Silver of NFL.com.

"It's time for the Falcons to pay him like the elite back he is," Campbell said. "I expect them to make him a priority this offseason, as he's been an integral part of the dynamic offense that has gotten them to the Super Bowl."

Freeman posted a game-high 75 rushing yards in Atlanta's heartbreaking 34-28 overtime loss to the New England Patriots. He also scored a rushing touchdown and added 46 receiving yards.

The strong individual performance capped his best NFL season to date. He rushed for 1,079 yards and 11 touchdowns on 227 carries while adding 54 catches for 462 yards and two scores. His 4.8 yards-per-carry average tied for ninth in the league.

In March, he told Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com he wanted to remain with the franchise and understood contract talks were always a "process."

"This is coming out of my mouth: I definitely know I'm going to be playing for the Atlanta Falcons," Freeman said. "This is the team I want to play for. I'm almost 100 percent for sure business will be taken care of because we're all in this thing to win and have success."

Yet, it's uncertain how much the Falcons are willing to sink into Freeman's new deal as he heads into the final year of his contract.

According to Spotrac, Atlanta has just under $3.5 million in available cap space for the 2017 season, the seventh-lowest total in the league at this stage of the offseason. The Falcons also have a capable backup in Tevin Coleman, who averaged 4.4 yards per carry last year.