After locking up head coach Mike Smith last month, the Atlanta Falcons have followed suit by inking Thomas Dimitroff to a multiyear contract extension. For Dimitroff this just adds to his growing legacy. He won the Executive of the Yearaward from Sporting News for the second time in three years and he's central figure in a new book set to be released this fall.
It's a well-deserved extension and a virtual no-brainer when you consider the talent base he's put in place since his arrival in Atlanta. His home runs have included Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, Curtis Lofton, Tony Gonzalez, Sam Baker, Mike Peterson, Thomas DeCoud, Kroy Biermann and Dunta Robinson. Every single one of those players were drafted or signed under Dimitroff's watch.
The savvy player personnel moves have translated to the field as well with three consecutive winning seasons and two playoff appearances since 2008. After the Bobby Petrino-Michael Vick drama, Falcons fans just wanted to be respectable again but Dimitroff has made them championship contenders.