Even while we’re not precisely sure which of the Atlanta Falcons’ current roster—Bijan Robinson, Drake London, A.J. Terrell, Kyle Pitts, and Chris Lindstrom—will be our favorite players in the future, the team has future franchise heroes on it. But between Grady Jarrett, Jake Matthews, and Younghoe Koo, they still only have a few well-known franchise icons on their roster.
Though he currently ranks in the top three in almost every franchise career statistic, Koo will need to wait a few more years to seriously challenge the top of Atlanta’s kicker leaderboard. However, there’s a good chance that Matthews and Jarrett will be setting new records in 2024 on team leaderboards.
Jarrett, Grady
Since quarterback hits have been recorded since 1999, you do need to be aware that the all-time list for that specific statistic only spans roughly 25 years. Even yet, Jarrett is very certain to win that category by the end of 2024 because he trails the legendary John Abraham there by just one hit (with 114). In addition, Jarrett ranks 10th all-time in sacks and third all-time in tackles for loss (68), trailing only Jonathan Babineaux and Abraham. In 2024, he will rise all the way to seventh place with just four of them, surpassing a three-way tie between Vic Beasley, Jeff Merrow, and Don Smith.
In terms of games played, Jarrett is tied with fellow legend Julio Jones for 19th place. This time around, he has the opportunity to move up to 15th place and pass Greg Brezina if he plays all 17 games.
That’s a credit to his longevity—since 2015, he has been the sole constant on this defense and has been among the greatest defensive players—as well as to his constant performance.
After surpassing Matt Ryan’s record of 154 games in 2023, Jake Matthews Matthews currently holds the franchise record for the most consecutive starts. He is also continuing to improve upon it. With a year or two more of healthy games under his belt, he might make his record of 160 straight starts practically unbreakable.
Given that run, it makes sense that Matthews would be pushing up the all-time games played leaderboard. By playing all 17 games in 2024, he would pass the legendary Bob Whitfield for seventh place in team history with 179 games played, trailing only fellow tackle Mike Kenn (who holds the top spot with an astounding 251 games) on the team’s all-time record. Pro Football Focus has consistently rated him at a very good 77 pass blocking grade, so his availability and consistency in pass protection—aside from his rookie season—have long been underappreciated. Additionally, he benefits from continuity as Raheem Morris, the head coach, and Dwayne Ledford, the offensive line coach, remain in place. I’d anticipate Matthews to be the rock that he always has been for at least another season, and if that’s the case, the Falcons will have some legendary company.