Drake London signs his $141 million extension with the Falcons, then vows to earn every dollar
Drake London has become one of the highest-paid receivers in the NFL after signing a four-year, $141 million contract extension with the Atlanta Falcons
Drake London became one of the highest-paid receivers in the NFL on Monday after signing a four-year, $141 million contract extension with the Falcons, keeping him in Atlanta through the 2030 season.
On Tuesday, he said his mindset has shifted to proving he's worth that paycheck.
“I know it’s a lot of money, and I’ve got to prove it still. That’s what my mindset is right now," London said. "Raising my standard in every single category there is, becoming a player who’s more consistent, and just trying to lead the team in any way possible. Leveling up in all ways.”
The 6-foot-5 receiver from Southern California has led the Falcons in receiving yards in three of his four seasons — all while adjusting to four starting quarterbacks in four years. That number could continue to rise this season as Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa compete for the starting role.
London said he hadn't thought about the yearly quarterback turnover until he saw a post about it on social media.
“I didn't even know that happened, the whole quarterback thing," he said. "I pride myself on whoever throws me the ball, I'm supposed to catch it. So I don't really care where you throw it, how you throw it, what it looks like, who it's from. If you throw it in my vicinity, it should be my ball.”
London feels good about both guys, whether it's Tagovailoa or Penix under center this season.
Recommended for you
“Obviously, it's early days, and all of us are here right now competing our butts off," he said. "But I'm just glad about both spots they're in, whether that's Tua learning the offense or (Penix) getting back on his feet. I'm really happy with both of them.”
The quarterback competition isn't the only change for London & Co. The offense also is adjusting to a system under new head coach Kevin Stefanski and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees.
So far, London likes what he's seen from Stefanski, noting an aligned vision in the locker room and high intensity at practices.
“I would honestly just say we're working,” he said. “It's a huge difference. We're working right now, and we're getting after it. Everybody's here at the moment, and we all have the same goal in mind.”
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO
personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who
make comments. Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. Don't threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Anyone violating these rules will be issued a
warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be
revoked.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.