FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons have agreed to terms on a two-year extension for offensive tackle Kaleb McGary.

The move was first reported by NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

The 2025 season was originally set to be the final year of McGary's three-year contract that he signed in 2023 after his rookie deal ended. This extension now locks McGary in with Atlanta through the 2027 season.

This move is a significant one as the Falcons core group of offensive linemen continues to move forward together — something quite uncommon at any level of football. Very rarely do you see a core group of linemen continue with each other for more than a couple years. With the way the contracts of McGary, Chris Lindstrom, Jake Matthews and Matthew Bergeron are set up, that means this group (which has already spent three seasons together) will continue forward as a collective unit. The only change in the lineup comes with Ryan Neuzil taking over at the center spot following the departure of Drew Dalman. Even still, Neuzil started eight games for Atlanta in 2024.

McGary has been the Falcons' starting right tackle since Atlanta drafted him and Lindstrom with their two first-round picks in the 2019 NFL Draft. Despite a slow start to his professional career, McGary has transformed into one of the most consistently highly graded run-blocking tackles in the league.

"I think he's a special player," Matthews said of McGary. "(I) just respect him. Going into seven years with him, I really think he's really improved a lot, and I'm expecting him to be solid and one of the staple guys on this offensive line."

This upcoming 2025 season will present a new set of challenges for McGary as he officially becomes Michael Penix Jr.'s full-time, blind-side blocker, seeing as Penix is a lefty. Still, McGary held up in the role through Penix's three starts in 2024, with only one of Penix's four sacks taken during those three games being attributed to McGary. This stat according the Pro Football Focus database.

The offensive tackle has been asked about this change a few times since Penix took over as the starting quarterback, and he often says the same thing: He's not being asked to do too much different from what he was with a right-handed quarterback in the pocket.

"In modern offenses, a quarterback is going to turn a lot when he's reading the field," McGary explained. "There's not really a blind side because at some point, his back is going to be to each side pretty much no matter what. ... Still just trying not to give up a sack ever."

Nevertheless, the extension of McGary indicates a belief in the tackle's ability to evolve his own game to be a blind-side protector. It also furthers the notion that Atlanta is keen on keeping its core group of linemen together. When so much is going right with the unit, there's a certain wisdom in not rocking the boat. That approach makes sense, too, seeing as for the last few years Atlanta has been a top-5 rushing team in almost every statistical rushing category. That's as much a compliment to the offensive line as it is to Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier.

McGary is a major part of that success. Over the course of his career as a Falcon, McGary has started 92 of a possible 93 games that he's been available for. With this extension, that number should only continue to grow.