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The Atlanta Falcons announced a contract extension with defensive tackle Courtney Upshaw on Thursday and also officially announced quarterback Matt Schaub's contract to return to the club. Terms of the deals weren't announced, but ESPN's Adam Schefter has reported Schaub's deal is for two years and $9 million. "The plan we laid out for this offseason begins with re-signing our own players, and we are fortunate to get deals done with Courtney and Matt this morning," general manager Thomas Dimitroff said in a statement. "Courtney proved to be versatile in our defensive scheme and he will continue to play several roles along our defensive line. We know the value of having an experienced back-up at quarterback and Ryan and Schaub work well together so it was important to keep that tandem together. "Coupling these moves with being able to secure Robert Alford and Ryan Schraeder long-term before the end of the season has us off to a good start when it comes to executing our plan." Upshaw, who turned 27 in December, joined the Falcons on a one-year contract before the 2016 season. He showed flashes of quickness and athleticism throughout the year and opened more eyes with a sack of New England's Tom Brady in Super Bowl XLI. His versatility in playing the outside edge and lining up on the interior of the defensive line impressed coaches. For the season, Upshaw recorded a sack, 24 tackles, a tackle for a loss, four quarterback hits, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in 297 defensive snaps played. The biggest issue for the 6-foot-2 Upshaw has been managing his weight, as he was listed at 272 pounds last season. Upshaw was a second-round pick of the Ravens in 2012 out of Alabama. He spent his first four seasons with the Ravens as an outside linebacker. ESPN's Vaughn McClure contributed to this report.
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