"I want to thank [owner] Mr. [Arthur] Blank, [general manager] Thomas [Dimitroff] and Coach [Dan] Quinn for all of their support.

That quartet, paired with a solid offensive line and improved defense, led the Falcons to the Super Bowl, where they lost to the New England Patriots in heartbreaking fashion.

It became clear that Freeman—or at least his agent, Kristin Campbell—would push hard for a lucrative Contract extension when Campbell brought up the matter in late January, a week before the Super Bowl.

Clearly, the team's front office agreed, even if it would have preferred Campbell hadn't publicly advocated for her client right before the Super Bowl.

Coleman is still under control for the next two seasons at the affordable rate of $680,000 in 2017 and $792,000 in 2018, but if he stays healthy, he could hit unrestricted free agency as potentially the top running back on the market in 2019.