Falcons extend Gervon Dexter one month after trading Phillips and a draft pick

Atlanta has followed its August trade for defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. with a four-year contract extension, adding a longer commitment to the player it acquired for Clark Phillips III and a draft pick. Atlanta confirmed the agreement Wednesday evening. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported terms of $78 million, including $46.5 million guaranteed, citing Dexter's agents Drew and Jason Rosenhaus.

Schefter's announcement puts the extension one month after Atlanta traded for Dexter on August 30. The quick agreement gives the Falcons a longer commitment to the interior lineman after his first three games with the club. NBC Sports also reported the agreement Wednesday.

Atlanta's announcement explains the team's interest through Dexter's early production. The Falcons credit him with 15 pressures and three quarterback hits through three games, including five pressures on 27 pass rushes against Green Bay last week. According to the team, that was already his second game this season with at least five pressures.

The club lists Dexter eighth in quarterback pressure rate, at 20.5%, among players with at least 50 pass-rush snaps. It also credits Dexter and Brandon Dorlus with a combined 27 pressures, the most by an interior defensive-line pairing through three weeks. Those measures provide more detail about Atlanta's evaluation than his half-sack alone.

General manager Ian Cunningham emphasized Dexter's disruption and commitment to teammates in the announcement. Cunningham also has a longer view of the player: he was Chicago's assistant general manager when the Bears selected Dexter in the second round of the 2023 draft. Dexter went on to start all 32 games across the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

Atlanta acquired him by sending Chicago defensive back Clark Phillips III and a 2027 fifth-round pick. The extension makes Dexter's future a larger part of that personnel decision. With only three games of Falcons production available, the agreement commits the team beyond its initial look at him in Jeff Ulbrich's defense.