Falcons make Chris Lindstrom highest-paid guard in NFL
No guard in the NFL had ever signed a $100 million contract.
That changed on Monday when the Atlanta Falcons agreed to terms with guard Chris Lindstrom on a five-year, $105 million contract, making the 26-year-old the highest-paid guard in the NFL.
SI.com’s Albert Breer reported the deal includes $63 million in guaranteed money.
Set to earn just $13.202 million in 2023 on his fifth-year option, Lindstrom now has a $21 million per year salary that surpasses the $20 million per year the Indianapolis Colts gave Quenton Nelson last year.
Lindstrom and Nelson are the only two offensive linemen in the NFL who are non-left tackles to make $20 million or more per year.
The 14th overall pick in the 2019 draft, Lindstrom hasn’t missed a game over the last three seasons, and he was the only guard to not allow a single sack in 2021.
Lindstrom had a breakout year in 2022, allowing just nine pressures, two sacks and one QB hit on 1,047 offensive snaps while blocking for the third-best rushing attack in the NFL (159.9 yards per game).
He made his Pro Bowl, was named a Second-Team All-Pro and Pro Football Focus ranked him as the top run-blocking offensive lineman in the NFL regardless of position.
More must-reads: