FLOWER BRANCH, Ga. – Miami Dolphins punter Bradley Pinyon is a two-time Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee. He and his wife, Kaleigh, went on a mission trip to Africa with Compassion International and helped fund two child development centers in Tanzania. And Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson said, “He’s probably the best guy I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Falcons offensive lineman Chris Lindstrom said Robinson should be one of the representatives of the human race when aliens land on Earth. Robinson signed a short-term deal A highly paid running back In NFL history ( Jahmir Gibbs will pass in three days ), quarterback Jake Matthews has struggled to come up with enough to say about his teammate.
“It’s hard to keep describing the way to sing his praises,” Matthews said. “Like that, I don’t believe the guy has ever done anything wrong before. He’s an all-around good guy.”
Lindstrom: “If there are 100 people who represent humanity, we’d recommend that guy be on this short list. From the locker room, what we’re sending is his athleticism, his talent, his human quality. He’s the best person you could ever meet, a genuine, loving, caring person.”
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So, is the leader in passing yards (5,648 yards) the last three seasons (5,648 yards) also a good guy?
“I was warned by people, ‘You’re not going to think this guy is real when you talk to him,'” said first-year Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski.
To be honest, it may all sound too good to be true. Matt Ryan said he was just as surprised. Atlanta’s football president and all-time leading rusher was traded away from the Falcons one season before the team drafted Robinson eighth in 2023. Like everyone else, he saw Robinson’s television appearances and social media clips and thought it could all come true. So Ryan called Steve Sarkisian, his former offensive coordinator and Robinson’s Texas coach.
“Sark was like, ‘Dude, that’s every day,'” Ryan said. “I’ve known him for the past two years, and I think he’s a special person.
Surely, somewhere in Robinson’s life, there is dirt, right? If there was, Phil Gruensfelder didn’t get it. Grunsfelder served as the athletic director at Robinson High School’s alma mater, Salpoin Catholic, in Tucson, Ariz., for 25 years. After Robinson ended a heated recruiting battle by choosing a Longhorn in 2020, Grunsfelder’s phone rang.
“My wife’s first cousin, Matt Rutherford, is the equipment manager at the University of Texas,” Grunsfelder said. “Matt’s mom came up to me and said, ‘Tell me about Bijan.’ I said, ‘He’s the coolest kid around.’
Grunsfelder once struck up a conversation with a man wearing a Falcons No. 7 jersey at a local grocery store.
“The man said, ‘Is he really normal?’ said Grunsfelder.
Yes. Well, sort of.
The eternally smiling 24-year-old plays the video game “College Football 27” every day, just like any other boy his age. Of course, he’s playing online with his best friend, actor Jonathan Davis, who stars in the Netflix series “Outer Banks” and is slated to play Snoop Dogg in the upcoming biopic. Robinson also has ties to Brazilian soccer star Vinicius Jr. as they are clients of celebrity jeweler Leo Frost, and he is friends with French soccer star Kylian Mbappe. Robinson writes regularly with Matthew McConaughey. There are more stars in his cell phone, but Robinson is too angry to name them.
“I’ve met good people, but I’ll reserve that,” he said.
When Robinson came to Atlanta, linebacker Kaden Ellis, a seven-year (and counting) NFL veteran, was expected to have some rights. Ellis then looked at the running backs at every special teams tackle in his rookie year.
“We’re looking to, like, ‘Dude, we all know you’re never going to play special teams, but he’s been sitting there all year,'” Ellis said. “He has earned this humility only for himself.”
Ellis, now with the New Orleans Saints, spent three seasons in Atlanta at lock next to Robinson, trying to see if there were any cracks in the running back foundation. When pressed to even summon one, he couldn’t.
“The top athletes in the premier positions who are called divas are often selfish. Not bizhan,” Ellis said. “He’s got this smile, he brings this joy every day, whether he’s sitting in the locker room or playing on the field. It’s special, and it’s contagious.”
With more than a dozen current and former teammates, coaches and acquaintances in Robinson’s orbit echoing Ellis’ sentiment, months of trying to find someone with a reassuring word about the Falcons’ most marketable star came up empty. Notifying a reporter of the effort, Robinson responded the way he always does, with a big smile. Colgate player.
“You won’t find anyone,” he said confidently. “I’m telling you man, this is just me, this is who God made me to be. I wake up, I smile, I say my prayers, I talk to God, I take my vitamins and I go about my day. This is who I am – seriously.”
Seriously, says Donald Nguyen, MD, director of sports medicine in Texas.
“I have zero waste,” Nguyen said. “It’s true, he’s a saint.”
After signing his first NIL deal with Raising Cane, Robinson regularly brought lunch to the Texas coaching staff, and sang “Happy Birthday” to Nguyen’s daughter on FaceTime, the coach said. The job was a significant change for a staff member who was anonymous and taken for granted in the locker room.
“He always said hello. He treated everyone with respect,” Nguyen said. “He knows our family. The man is amazing.”
Let sesame be sesame pic.twitter.com/78LKHJr7em
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) September 2, 2026
John Bianco, the Longhorns’ longtime director of communications, tried hard to think of anything that would help with that mission. He can only come up with two things: Robinson’s Texas teammates say he’s a “terrible” basketball player and that he stops to talk to huge crowds coming off the court after games.
“I have to be a coach “If you take pictures of everybody walking off the field, it’s never going to make it to the postgame talk,” Bianco said.
When Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Ruck Orhohoro arrived in Atlanta in 2024 as a second-round draft pick, he feared approaching the Falcons’ young star. It shouldn’t have been.
“The way he talks to me is encouraging 24/7 as if he already knows me,” Orhohoro said. “I’ve never heard him say anything negative. He’s the same person every day on and off the field, a God-fearing ballplayer, just him.”
“That’s the preacher’s son. He didn’t do anything wrong,” Falcons wide receiver Drake London said. “And even if he was, I wouldn’t abuse my son.”
“I don’t think it’s too good to be true. I think it’s just who Bijan is,” guard Matthew Bergeron said.
“Always in a good mood, always a happy person, a person of faith, no trash,” Pinion said. And he’s an incredible football player. I don’t think he knows how good he is at football. But yeah, I don’t have anything. His only fault is that he is probably very handsome. He is an amazing person.
“He had a book show, and I don’t think people even have that these days,” Falcons safety Jesse Bates said.
Tight end Kyle Pitts and quarterback Michael Pennix Jr. were the only Falcons brave enough to stand up to this flood of goodwill and offer anything resembling a complaint.
“His taste in music is poor in my opinion,” Pitts said. “Some of his house music is good, but we’ll listen to Rick Ross or Future, and he’ll put on NWA. It’s like, ‘How can you change the vibe so fast?’ You have to keep the vibe going. It’s a completely different beat.”
Pennix echoed Pitts’ comments that he’d rather have someone else do the music in the locker room.
“I wouldn’t say it’s bad. I guess it’s for the ears,” Penix said. “We have two different styles of music. You might hear Miley Cyrus or something from him. You never know what you’re going to hear from B.”
Robinson pushed back against complaints about his DJing skills.
“I think I play really good music,” he said. “Mike only listens to rap and trap. I mean, he wakes up and Kodak Black is on the road. I play Tame Impala, and a lot of them are rocking. Mike comes in and says, ‘Knock this off.'”
Former Falcons coach Raheem Morris sided with Robinson in the music controversy.
“He has really good taste in music. Kyle probably didn’t appreciate his versatility,” Morris said. “His music is great. He comes by the house and puts on smooth music. He’s got some old-school rap, of course. He can read the part well and play what you need to hear.”
“Good luck on the dirt,” Morris concluded.
Pennix admits he can’t find fault with Robinson outside of the lineup.
“Anytime you see him, he always has a smile on his face, encouraging people around him,” he said. “He wants to see everybody else be the best. He’s a special guy. We’ve got a guy who we say is the best player in the NFL, and he doesn’t act like that. He shows love to everybody. Anytime you have a humble guy who’s the best guy in the league, that’s rare.”
And real, we can meet them like everyone else.