Falcons, White working on contract extension

Flowery Branch — After two spectacular seasons, wide receiver Roddy White and the Atlanta Falcons are in discussions for a contract extension.

White, who made the Pro Bowl for the first time last season, is entering the final year of a five-year contract.

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Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com

Falcons wide receiver Roddy White caught 83 passes for 1,202 yards and six touchdowns last season.

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“We haven’t come to an agreement,” said White, who is set to make $2.28 million next season under his current contract.

Preferably, White said he would like to enter the season with his contract situations resolved.

“Whenever it happens, it happens,” White said. “We’ll just wait around for it.”

White participated fully in the Falcons minicamp, which ended on Sunday. He has also been taking part in the offseason workouts.

After being selected with the 27th pick of the 2005 NFL draft, White’s career got off to a slow start and he has fought a reputation for dropped passes.

But in 2008, he started to blossom. He caught 83 passes for 1,202 yards and six touchdowns. Connecting quickly with rookie quarterback Matt Ryan, White continued to develop and soon became the focus of the passing attack.

Ryan threw 148 of his 434 attempts (34 percent) in White’s direction. He caught 88 passes for 1,382 yards but dropped nine balls, including one in the end zone against Denver Nov. 16 that could have led to a victory.

White’s contract situation is impacted by the blockbuster deal that Arizona completed in March with Larry Fitzgerald, who received a four-year contract worth $40 million.

Also, the labor situation between the NFL and the players union is an issue. The owner’s have opted out of the collective bargaining agreement and 2010 is set to be an uncapped year.

The Falcons do not comment about player negotiations.

Last season, the team negotiated contract extensions with defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux and wide receiver Michael Jenkins. But both of those extensions were signed during the season.

White participated in the minicamp because he didn’t want his contract situation to effect his offseason preparations.

“As far as the tempo, we kept it pretty high,” White said. “I felt pretty good, getting back out there and getting on the field.”

For an initial showing, White and the rest of the receiving unit appeared solid.

“We had a couple of drops,” White said. “Mike made plays. Harry (Douglas) made plays. Brian Finneran was making plays. The little young rookie came in, Aaron Kelly and he was making plays down the field.

“It was nice to get out there and get your body going.”

The offense, as a whole, also appeared crisp compared to last season’s minicamps, when coach Mike Smith was implementing a new system.

“It’s a big difference because everybody was learning,” White said. “This year, we’ve got everybody back and the offense is set in stone. We are just working on the basic things and bringing the rookies along.”

The players were granted a little reward at the end of practice. After working in the weight room for six straight weeks since March 24, they have this week off. The rookies return on May 16 and the veterans on May 20 for passing camp and organized training activities.

Smith wasn’t sure if there were any surprises of the minicamp but was pleased with the workouts.

“I thought that we practiced with a lot of energy,” Smith said.