The Falcons often looked like a team of individual performers rather than a cohesive unit during the disappointing 2025 campaign. No player exemplified that better than Bijan Robinson.
Robinson might not get the credit he deserves until his team is playoff caliber — not merely an NFC South contender — but he further established himself as one of the NFL’s great talents in 2025. Historically speaking, he enjoyed one of the most prolific seasons of all time.
And as the Falcons seek their next coach, Robinson’s presence is a marquee selling point.
The running back finished with a career-high 1,478 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns. He added 820 receiving yards and four scores on 79 catches. His 2,298 yards from scrimmage were the 12th-highest single-season total in NFL history.
“Any time a player can go for over 2,000 yards, that’s a blessing,” Robinson said. “I praise God for that.”
The eye test might have been even more impressive. Robinson is an artist in space with his smooth footwork and eye-opening elusiveness.
He was the best player on the field against the Bills, who were quarterbacked by reigning MVP Josh Allen. He was the best player on the field against the Rams, a team many consider Super Bowl-caliber. He’s also been an iron man, playing in every game for the second consecutive season.
Where does he go from here?
“I’m trying to get better for next season,” Robinson said following the team’s victory Sunday. “I’ll watch this past season and get better from there in all facets of my game. Just continue to be a great leader for the guys and trust in God for greatness for this team.”
Robinson, who turns 24 this month, presumably will continue developing, which should be a terrifying thought for the NFL. But that doesn’t guarantee he’ll have another season comparable with this one.
That leads to an unfortunate question: Did the Falcons waste what ultimately could be Robinson’s best season? It seems preposterous on the surface that he’s already enjoyed his finest year, but running backs don’t consistently reach these heights. They also take a lot of physical beating.
Christian McCaffrey and Saquon Barkley had seasons of similar caliber in 2019 and 2024, respectively, but their encores weren’t nearly the same.
McCaffrey had 2,392 yards from scrimmage that season, the third most in history. He since has had two additional seasons with more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage, in 2023 and 2025, though neither came close to his 2019 showing. In four of the eight seasons since then, McCaffrey hasn’t reached even 800 yards because of injuries.
Barkley, meanwhile, has two seasons in which he exceeded 2,000 yards from scrimmage. He achieved such in his rookie campaign (2018) and in 2024, when his 2,283 yards across 16 games were pivotal to the eventual Super Bowl champion Eagles. In the same number of games this season, Barkley had 1,413 yards from scrimmage.
Like McCaffrey and Barkley, Robinson is a rare talent. He’ll be Hall of Fame worthy should he remain healthy. But those players are a reminder that the level of performance Robinson just had aren’t fair to expect every season, even from that type of player.
The team’s failures and ensuing search for a new president of football operations and coach put reviewing individual player performance into the background. But let this be an appreciation for Robinson.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, for whom Robinson played collegiately, once told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he viewed Robinson as a blend of Barry Sanders and Reggie Bush. A few years into Robinson’s career, that doesn’t seem hyperbole.
Now-dismissed general manager Terry Fontenot bucked conventional wisdom by selecting a running back in the top 10 of the NFL draft, yet Robinson will be remembered as the best player he acquired.
And the team’s new decision-makers will benefit.
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