Jake Matthews

Atlanta FalconsOVERPAID

Pos LT

Updated October 8, 2026

Compare Jake Matthews LT rankings →

Model Score

83.5 MODEL

2016

87.2

2017

79.3

2018

86.7

2019

91.7

2020

87.7

2021

86.2

2022

93.0

2023

88.3

2024

84.0

2025

77.1

2026

83.5

How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →

STM Take

Twelve straight years as Atlanta's starting LT plus the 2018 Pro Bowl plus four straight top-25 STTM finishes 2021-2024 puts Matthews in the rarefied air of decade-long stable LTs. The 2025 tier 7 (#55) drop at age 34 is the textbook late-career structural decline. The 2026 question is whether Matthews extends for one more year or whether Atlanta uses the 2026 draft to install his successor.

Matthews came out of Texas A&M as the Atlanta Falcons' 1st-round pick (6th overall) in 2014, following his father Bruce (Hall of Fame OL) and brother Kevin into the NFL. He has held the Atlanta LT job for twelve straight seasons, made the 2018 Pro Bowl, and is one of the most durable LTs of his generation with 180+ consecutive starts. His STTM career runs tier 3 (#21) in 2021, tier 2 (#13) peak in 2022, tier 3 (#20) in 2023, tier 4 (#32) in 2024, and tier 7 (#55) in 2025 at age 34.

Strengths

Twelve straight years as starting LT with 180+ consecutive starts is one of the most durable career runs at the position in NFL history.
Four straight top-32 STTM finishes 2021-2024 plus the 2018 Pro Bowl confirms a top-20 LT peak through the prime years.

Concerns

Tier 4 (#32) in 2024 to tier 7 (#55) in 2025 is a 23-spot decline that matches the structural age-34 LT drop and points to the closing chapter.
Atlanta's quarterback investment (Michael Penix Jr. trajectory) plus the offensive line transition compresses the runway for Matthews's late-career role.

What to watch: Whether Matthews extends through age 35 in 2026 or whether Atlanta drafts a high-pick LT to plan the post-Matthews transition.