After a wait, Neuzil gets a new deal.
The Atlanta Falcons finally inked a contract with their presumed 2025 starting center, Ryan Neuzil. The two parties have agreed to a two-year $9.5M deal with $6.5M guaranteed.
#Falcons have signed C Ryan Neuzil to a two-year, $9.5M deal with $6.5M guaranteed, per @AdamSchefter.
— Kevin Knight (@FalcoholicKevin) May 29, 2025
Neuzil filled in for nine games after new Chicago Bears center Drew Dalman went down with an ankle injury. PFF ranked Neuzil as the 36th-best center last year, and Dalman was 22nd. While the two centers provided a similar level of pass protection, Neuzil didn’t offer the same push as Dalman in the run, and he also had seven penalties.
Nevertheless, Neuzil did enough to help the offense produce and keep the quarterback clean. It’s also fair to note that protecting Kirk Cousins was no easy feat. The quarterback stayed within the pocket 99.4% of the time on his dropbacks, the highest rate in the league and the second-highest among all quarterbacks since 2018. Cousins also had the fewest scramble yards per dropback (4.1) and lowest overall scramble rate (2.2%) in 2024, the third-lowest marks since 2018 per NFLPro.
Penix already showed in limited time that he has much better sack avoidance than Cousins, and that will make the entire line’s job easier. If Neuzil can maintain his level of play from last season and take a few small steps in the run game, then this deal could be a bargain.
If Neuzil regresses, the team still isn’t taking a significant risk with this deal. Good business at the end of the day.