FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Drake London's signed extension was the big news surrounding the Atlanta Falcons on Monday as the team took the field for their final OTA practice open to the media. The former first-round pick has been an essential part of Atlanta's offense since he joined the club in 2022, and his teammates were excited to see his hard work get rewarded.

"Right when I saw it, I called him," Falcons running back Bijan Robinson said. "I was so happy for him. He deserves it. He deserves everything that he gets. Obviously, he's one of my favorite teammates, probably my top teammate of all time. That's my best friend. That's my brother."

Through his first four seasons, London has gained 3,961 receiving yards, which already ranks 10th in team history. He has topped 900 yards in a season three times and set a career high in receiving yards with 1,271 during the 2024 season. London was on pace to top that mark in 2025, but an injury cost him five games. He finished with 919 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 games, and his average of 76.6 yards per game ranked seventh among all wide receivers last season.

London's production as the Falcons' top receiver is only part of what he brings to the team. His tenacity and fiery demeanor are reminiscent of a demonstrative middle linebacker, and his passion can be felt throughout the locker room and on the sideline during game days.

"It just brings people together," left guard Matthew Bergeron said. "It gets us going as an offense and as a team. Seeing how hard he goes every day, whether it's in practice, middle of August, third week of camp, he'll lose his s*, but it's great and it gets us going. He deserves everything he got. I think he's a great piece for this offense and for this team. He brings everybody along with him, so I'm just happy for Drake."

Atlanta is working through its first offseason program under head coach Kevin Stefanski, and the emphasis throughout has been on the fundamentals to build a strong foundation for the season ahead. Few players have meant more to the team this decade than London, who is now a foundational piece for the Falcons' future.

"I think Drake represents all the things that we believe in in terms of how you play this game, how you approach this game, how important this game is to him, how important his teammates are to him," Stefanski said.

Notes and observations from practice:

(Voluntary) roll call: London was out on the practice field during warmups but had a much lighter load than typical on Monday. Similarly, quarterback Michael Penix Jr. had a "scheduled rest day," as Stefanski put it, so he did not participate in any of the on-field drills but was present at practice.

A handful of linebackers were also held out of practice. DeAngelo Malone, Kendal Daniels, JD Bertrand and Troy Andersen were all on the field watching the session, but none of the four participated in drills. Billy Bowman Jr. "continues to hit every mark in his rehab," according to Stefanski, but he is still not ready for practice reps, and second-year safety Xavier Watts also did not work into any drills on Monday. Along the defensive line, rookie Anterio Thompson and Brandon Dorlus were the two players not spotted during practice.

Offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor did not work into position or team drills and was doing individual work off to the side with a trainer; offensive tackle Storm Norton was also present but did not participate.

Rookie cornerback Avieon Terrell has been brought along slowly due to a hamstring injury he dealt with before the draft, but he continues to see more action and was involved in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills.

Sharp day for No. 1: On Penix's rest day, Tua Tagovailoa stepped up. He was sharp throwing the football, hitting receivers in stride and fitting passes in tight windows. No play illustrated that better than his pass to tight end Joshua Simon during 7-on-7s midway through practice. On a crossing route over the middle, Tagovailoa put the ball into the opening Simon was heading towards, and the athletic second-year tight end did the rest. Simon turned upfield and outran the defense for the remaining 30-or-so yards to reach the end zone. During an 11-on-11 red-zone period, Tagovailoa connected with Robinson, Chris Blair and Casey Washington for touchdowns. His only miss during that drill came on a rollout to the right and with pressure in his face. Stefanski has previously praised his accuracy, and it was on display Monday.

Jack Strand sends it: Maybe the best throw of the day, however, came from rookie Jack Strand. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound quarterback put his big arm on display during 7-on-7s and lofted a pretty pass to receiver Dylan Drummond down the left sideline. Drummond had a step or two on his defender and fully extended to get his hands on Strand's pass. Getting his hands on it was all Drummond could do, though, as it was just a tick too far for him to reel in cleanly. Still, it was one of the best passes Strand has had across the OTA sessions open to the media.

Kick returner rotation: The following players, in no particular order, were out there fielding kickoffs and punts from the jugs machine on Monday: Jahan Dotson, Olamide Zaccheaus, Zachariah Branch, Dylan Drummond, Keelan Marion and Vinny Anthony II.

Penix progressing back: While Penix didn't see any action on the field, Stefanski said he's been impressed with what the third-year quarterback has been able to do so far as he progresses back from a knee injury. However, no timeline has been given for when he could begin to practice fully.

"He's hitting every milestone that he's supposed to hit," Stefanski said. "I've been in constant communication with our medical team and Mike, and I think he's doing everything he can do. And certainly, when he may want to do more, we have to hold him back from certain things potentially, but not going to put any time frames out there just yet. Just going to focus on what's in front of him."