NFL star Bijan Robinson has officially become the league’s highest-paid running back in history after securing a three-year contract extension with the Atlanta Falcons that is reported to be worth a staggering $75 million.
Robinson, 24, has now overtaken Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley as the top-earning NFL running back of all time, earning $22.25 million per year, according to ESPN. Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers now falls in third place on that list.
The newly-signed contract extension will see Robinson—who is originally from Arizona—playing with the Falcons through 2030, having quickly established himself as one of the team’s leading stars after he was selected in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
At the time, Robinson voiced his delight at the prospect of making Atlanta, GA, his home, penning a personal piece on his website in which he described the “magical” moment he stepped out onto the field as a Falcons player for the first time.
“When I first stepped onto the field for the Atlanta Falcons, it was emotional to see the NFL crowd, the new city and a new energy,” he wrote.
“The fans were already dancing and there was a party happening around the stadium. That moment went through my spine and the feeling was magical: seeing little ones like you when you started.”
He went on to express his love of the culture in Atlanta, particularly the food scene and the dynamic Falcons fandom, writing that he feels “honored” to have the support of so many loyal spectators.
“There’s so much culture here in Atlanta, especially Black culture,” he explained. “It’s the food, the clothes, the style, the sports and the music that make the city.
“Seeing how many people came out of Atlanta and still live here makes me feel like I’m in a talented city filled with people who influence the world and I’m honored to have their support.”
In April, the football pro opened up about the evolution of his career throughout his time with the Falcons, noting that he was excited to be entering a new season as a veteran player who can help to encourage the talents of the team’s newer members.
“Me being here for now, going on my fourth year, and me now being a veteran leader to these guys, it’s pretty cool,” he said, according to NFL.com. “I am pretty excited, even just with how I feel.
“They always say, like, [these are] your prime years, but I really feel like this is the best I have felt my whole time being here.”
But while Robinson was quick to make the Georgia city his home, he has not cut ties with the other locales that have helped to boost his football career—particularly Austin, TX, where he attended the University of Texas for three years, before pivoting to the NFL.
In April 2024, one year after he signed with the Falcons as a Rookie, the athlete donated a whopping $300,000 to an affordable housing initiative in Austin in a bid to combat “chronic homelessness.”
The project, which is known as the Mobile Loaves & Fishes Community First Village, is a masterplanned community that provides “affordable, permanent housing and a supportive community for men and women who are coming out of chronic homelessness.”
At the time, the community was home to 370 people—and Robinson’s donation was intended to sponsor all of those neighbors for an entire year, according to a press release.
“I was really inspired by the Village’s mission to love and serve our neighbors,” Robinson said in a statement. “Through this donation, I hope to continue to empower others to pursue a lifestyle of service and reduce homelessness.”
In a post shared on his Instagram account, the NFL star noted that he was thrilled to be able to put at least some of his salary towards a truly worth cause, writing: “Got to do something today that’s bigger than football or anything up to this point.
“God blessed me with the opportunity to bless @mobileloaves and community first village in Austin with this nice donation of love! It’s says a lot to help someone out, but change some lives is pretty special!”
Robinson, who was primarily raised by his mother, LaMore, and his grandparents, Cleo and Gerri, has long emphasized the importance of community—explaining how his grandfather’s own football career had helped to ignite his own love of the sport.
“I grew up in a football household—my grandpa was a Pac-12 official, so it felt like a no-brainer,” he said in a post shared on his website. “My grandpa was my biggest inspiration. I looked up to him and the way he raised us. I didn’t have my dad in my life, so he was my dad.
“Playing football was the biggest thing for him, so I started young and it just grew from there.”
