Bijan Robinson Says Matthew McConaughey Was First to Text After Record Falcons Deal
Bijan Robinson’s phone started buzzing before he could finish reading his own contract news. The first text wasn’t from a teammate. It wasn’t from family. It was from Matthew McConaughey.
Robinson, speaking to reporters for the first time since officially signing his extension, said the Oscar-winning actor and longtime Texas Longhorns superfan beat everyone else to the punch. The Falcons posted video of Robinson recounting the moment on X, and the timeline he gave is specific enough to sound less like flattery and more like a guy checking his phone log.
“There’s been some cool people, but as soon as the news hit, Matthew McConaughey hit me as soon as it hit. I think it hit at like 7:56, and at 7:58, he texted me,” Robinson said. “But yeah, a lot of awesome — really cool people texted me, but it was cool to see him text as soon as it hit. He was the first one, so that was cool.”
Bijan Robinson’s record contract, by the numbers
Robinson signed his three-year extension with the Falcons on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, according to the team’s official announcement. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Adam Schefter had first reported the two sides agreeing to terms on Tuesday, before Robinson put pen to paper the next morning.
The deal runs through the 2030 season and makes Robinson the highest-paid running back in NFL history in average annual value, according to The Washington Post.
| Contract detail | Amount |
|---|---|
| Base value (3 years) | $66.75 million |
| Maximum value with incentives | $75 million |
| Guaranteed money | $51 million |
| Guaranteed at signing | $37 million |
| Average annual value | $22.25 million |
That $51 million guaranteed is the most ever given to a running back on a non-rookie contract, surpassing the mark Saquon Barkley set with the Eagles, according to Yahoo Sports.
Robinson had been holding in at training camp while the deal came together, a standoff head coach Kevin Stefanski described as “very amicable” once it wrapped up. The extension also closes the book on any lingering uncertainty about Robinson’s future, since he was otherwise playing out the final year of a fifth-year option the Falcons had already exercised in April.
The Texas connection behind the text
Robinson and McConaughey’s relationship dates back to Robinson’s recruiting visit to Texas as a high school junior in 2019, according to Bleacher Report. McConaughey, an Austin native, has long been one of the program’s most visible boosters — the school’s official “Minister of Culture” — and he stayed in touch with Robinson through three seasons at Texas from 2020 to 2022 and into his NFL career.
So when the numbers on Robinson’s new deal started circulating Tuesday morning, McConaughey didn’t wait to see it confirmed on television. He went straight to Robinson’s phone.
“A lot of awesome, really cool people texted me, but it was cool to see him — as soon as it hit — like, he was the first one.” — Bijan Robinson
It wasn’t the only message that stood out. Robinson also singled out a text from former Falcons head coach Arthur Smith, the coach who drafted him eighth overall in 2023, adding another layer to a morning full of congratulations from people who’d watched his career from the start.
What the extension means for Atlanta
The move locks up the centerpiece of an Atlanta backfield that’s already seen the team invest heavily elsewhere on offense this year, having extended receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts earlier in the offseason. Add in the free-agent signing of Brian Robinson Jr. to round out the running back room, and the Falcons have made their offensive core a clear priority under Stefanski, who took over this year after six seasons as Cleveland’s head coach.
Robinson has been worth the investment on the field. He’s made two Pro Bowls and earned two All-Pro nods in three seasons, highlighted by a 2024 campaign in which he rushed for 1,456 yards and 14 touchdowns while adding 61 catches for 431 yards. For his career, he’s totaled 3,910 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns, plus 198 receptions for 1,738 yards and nine more scores.
None of that came with a winning record to show for it — Atlanta finished 8-9 last season and hasn’t cracked the eight-win mark since drafting Robinson in 2023. That’s the bigger question mark hanging over the new deal: the Falcons are paying market rate for one of the league’s most dynamic backs, but they still need the results around him to catch up.
Robinson made clear the money wasn’t really the point for him. “This is one of my dreams, to stay with one team,” he said. “I think that is such a cool thing just because guys like Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, they all stayed on their one team, so I think that is a cool legacy thing for yourself.”
