It’s early, but Falcons are at risk of squandering Bijan Robinson’s brilliance

Falcons legend Gerald Riggs watches the marvel that is Bijan Robinson and can’t help but worry.

Riggs starred for the Falcons in the 1980s, earning three Pro Bowl selections and setting the franchise’s all-time rushing record with 6,631 yards, a mark that still stands and cemented his induction into the team’s Ring of Honor.

The Falcons went to the playoffs in his rookie season (1982) and then never again managed even a winning record, much less a playoff berth, in his ensuing six seasons with the team. Only when he was traded to Washington did he experience the postseason again, helping win a Super Bowl title after the 1991 season, his last in the NFL.

Riggs has thoughts that Robinson, a magnificent and rare talent, could be facing a similar fate 40 years after he did.

“You can’t help but kind of feel that,” Riggs told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution by phone Wednesday. “It’s almost kind of like a running back brotherly concern.”

In Riggs’ words, Robinson is a special player, smart and versatile. He said he would be glad if Robinson were the one to break his franchise record.

“I don’t mind if it’s him who gets it,” Riggs said. “But I would love to see him have just a consistent career in which they have teams that are going to be competing for the playoffs, competing to get back up there again. It’s been a little bit of a spell.”

Let’s put it more strongly. It’s early in his career, but the Falcons are running the risk of squandering Robinson’s brilliance. They’ve done it many times before, starting with Tommy Nobis — star players who gave surpassing performances to a franchise that didn’t do enough to surround them with the talent and coaching to allow the team to properly utilize their singular ability.

It’s one more reason to be dismayed by the continued bear hug that the Falcons have wrapped around mediocrity.

It’s not often that any franchise, let alone the Falcons, is graced by a player of Robinson’s caliber. The Falcons’ stewardship of the gem that is Robinson has, to this point, been lacking.

Riggs felt it himself.

“There were times when I was there that it just felt like, ‘Man, what needs to be done?’” said Riggs, who is retired and living in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Granted, it has been only two full seasons. But this certainly looks like a third. The NFL website projects the Falcons to have a 18% probability of making the postseason. Now 3-4, they play at New England on Sunday as 5.5-point underdogs.

And if they do miss the postseason, the Falcons will have had three seasons with the player that coach Raheem Morris calls the best player in the NFL on the roster and made as many playoff appearances as your dentist.

If that happens, that could mean a regime change. And in that case, what hope would there be for the 2026 team to be a legitimate Super Bowl contender?

That would be four years, which may well be half Robinson’s window as an elite running back, gone like sand through an hourglass.

And, eventually, the cost of keeping Robinson’s immense talent on the roster will grow significantly. He and wide receiver Drake London’s contributions have far outweighed the amount of salary-cap space they’ve taken as they’ve worked on team-friendly rookie contracts.

Should the team choose to extend them, that will mean both players will occupy a significant portion of the salary cap and leave the Falcons with far less room to sign (or re-sign) complementary players.

The Falcons had a prime opportunity to move into the realm of actual competitive NFL teams with four consecutive years with top-10 draft picks, which enabled them to acquire elite talent on rookie contracts (tight end Kyle Pitts, London, Robinson and quarterback Michael Penix Jr.) and have money to spend elsewhere.

And while that window hasn’t closed yet, is anyone particularly optimistic about how that plan is working out?

It isn’t even only Robinson whose contributions have gone for naught. Right guard Chris Lindstrom may be the best player at his position in the league. Safety Jessie Bates III has been chosen to the NFL’s top 100 players three times, including this season and last. London was named to the top-100 list for the first time this year. And yet, the Falcons’ playoff drought threatens to extend to eight seasons.

If Robinson’s career path ultimately does follows Riggs’, it would be a shame for Robinson and all who are making effective contributions. More pointedly, it would be another indictment of a franchise that has been the picture of failure to deliver for nearly six decades.