Why Falcons’ Bijan Robinson chose to hold-in — and why his contract is ‘rare’

FLOWERY BRANCH — Bijan Robinson was tired of obeying the rules. He’d paced the sidelines too much, cracked too many jokes, yelled too many times. Finally, he decided he couldn’t help himself.

The Falcons’ star running back dropped to the ground and started doing pushups.

The offense lost a team drill near the end of a training camp practice, and Robinson, who sat out the session awaiting a new contract, felt he needed to do it with them. The itch was too rabid to leave untouched. The pains of a hold-in — watching practice but not participating — grew too strong.

After five practices spent as a bystander, Robinson finally found resolution. His agent, Nicole Lynn, struck a deal with the Falcons on Tuesday morning, making Robinson the highest-paid running back in NFL history at $75 million across three years.

Robinson cherished the news. He also cherished no longer having to subtly sneak a pushup and refraining from physical activity.

“It was hard for me,” Robinson said Wednesday. “I’m not the guy to sit. Like, I want to be out there. I want to be with the team. I want to be with the guys. So, for me to have to watch, and watch when there’s not an end, just watch (and) be a good teammate, it was pretty tough.”

Robinson tried to escalate his end of the process as much as possible, but to no avail. He didn’t return to practice until Tuesday, which marked the beginning of a gradual ramp-up back to full participation.

“I was even kind of calling (Lynn) and being like, ‘Yo, could I just do a little something?’” Robinson said, laughing. “That’s just all part of the plan and the business side of things. So, when it all did work out, it was pretty cool.”

Ready for a plot twist? Robinson actually enjoyed the hold-in. Well, only partially.

The two-time All-Pro said he used his time sitting out to grow as a leader and view the game from a different perspective. He’s so accustomed to taking reps, returning to the sideline, listening to running backs coach Michael Pitre’s advice and getting back in the huddle.

This time, with no reps and no huddles, he took the time to truly watch the rest of his position mates go through drills.

“It was cool just to see that perspective,” Robinson said. “And if something did go wrong or something did go bad or if it could have got corrected, I was right there to help them and to just give them the right advice to make the next play. So, I feel like as a leader, it was really cool to experience that.

“And I’m never going to stop being that guy. And now that I did do that, I know I can help those guys in all aspects of their game as well. So, it was a cool experience, but it was definitely getting a little tough at times, too.”

Before the process began, and before news of his hold-in gained steam, Robinson received valuable advice from Lynn, who’s orchestrated several market-setting deals in recent years.

“It can look a lot of different ways,” Lynn told him, “but if you just stay who you are throughout the whole thing — it might get stressful, but just continue to put a smile on your face. Everything will be all right.”

Robinson wasn’t alone in his hold-in, as Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs took the same approach. They spoke to each other throughout the process, and Robinson hopes Gibbs gets his payday soon.

The root of Robinson’s hold-in stems, in part, from the uniqueness of his deal.

Drafted No. 8 overall in 2023, Robinson still has two years of team control remaining — the final year of his rookie contract, plus the fifth-year option the Falcons picked up this spring. But he wants the chance to get another contract before he turns 30, which expedited the timeline of his desire for a new deal.

There’s a mutual respect, Robinson said, between him and the Falcons’ brass. And the Tucson, Arizona, native acknowledged his appreciation for the Falcons being willing to buck most trends and pay him before his contract is formally due.

“I think it’s kind of rare to do a deal, especially a running back deal, two years early,” Robinson said. “So, for them to do that was definitely something that I’ll never forget, and something that is just a testament to my faith and definitely their faith that they have in me.”

Robinson will be 28 years old during the final year of his contract, and he said it was “huge” to be in a position where he can hit the market again before the end of his athletic prime.

Excluding highly drafted running backs paid according to their pick slot in the Raiders’ Ashton Jeanty and Cardinals’ Jeremiyah Love, there are 14 ball carriers with contracts valued above $30 million. Of those 14, eight signed four-year contracts. Robinson is one of only three to secure a three-year deal.

Robinson acknowledged running back deals are often negotiated for four-plus years. He and Lynn wanted three. The Falcons, Robinson said, were willing to “come down and make it three years,” which made the hold-in worthwhile.

“It’s pretty cool, because I know where this position can go,” Robinson said. “Obviously, I pray for no injuries and all that stuff and continue to stay healthy through this journey. But for that to happen, it’s cool.”

Robinson doesn’t want the length of his deal to be confused with a desire to leave Atlanta. It’s quite the opposite, actually.

“Obviously, the three years is just a breakpoint because I ain’t trying to go nowhere,” Robinson said. “I’m trying to be here, trying to stay here. That’s why I’m happy they got it done two years early because I just want to create a legacy here, man.”

To a degree, Robinson fought for a bigger cause, too. He fought for Gibbs. He fought for Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, who reportedly agreed to a two-year, $44 million extension Thursday. He fought for the next generation of running backs.

For several years, the running back market was reduced, slighted and largely subdued.

Robinson led the NFL in yards from scrimmage last season, asserting himself as a running back as a dynamic pass-catching weapon and evolving blocker. He’s trying to grow the position, yes, but he’s also trying to grow financial appreciation for his peers — both current and future — who do the same.

“Some of the top running backs in college just texted me, saying, ‘Thank you,’” Robinson said. “And that’s when I was like, man, that’s a cool thing, just because I know where the position goes, but to get the position back to where it used to be is the whole goal of what I’m trying to do.”

The process, Robinson said, never grew stressful. It was smooth and, according to coach Kevin Stefanski, “very amicable” between the two sides.

Now, Robinson can get back to playing football. He hopes to fully participate in the Falcons’ training camp practices by the end of the week, resuming his trash talk with the team’s defense and gaining comfort within a new offense.

He feels no pressure. If anything, after his hold-in, he feels relief. Now, he says, let the fun begin.