The Atlanta Falcons quietly resolved one of their biggest offseason issues during the regular season by reaching a five-year, $22 million contract extension with right tackle Todd Weiner.
Included in the deal is $7.5 million in signing and option bonuses.
Weiner was scheduled to be the team's top unsigned player this offseason. As a right tackle for left-handed quarterback Michael Vick, Weiner's job is to protect Vick's blindside. After less than a month of negotiations, the Falcons reached an agreement that will keep Weiner with the team through the 2011 season.
Weiner, 31, joined the Falcons in 2002 as a free agent from the Seattle Seahawks. He signed a five-year, $17.5 million contract with the Falcons and has been a steady leader along the offensive line since.
During his career, which began as a second-round draft choice of the Seahawks in 1998, Weiner has started 88 of 118 games. He's an athletic right tackle. At 6-foot-4, 297 pounds, he's a little lighter than some of the massive right tackles, but he fits perfectly in the Falcons' scheme.
His signing comes at a positive time for the Falcons. The team is 4-2, and Vick is coming off his best game this season as a passing quarterback.
John Clayton is an NFL senior writer for ESPN.com.