Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper is one of the best in the NFL at his position, but he is a free agent this offseason, and he is due for a significant pay day.

As a result, the Falcons are not sure whether or not they will be able to retain him.

Owner Arthur Blank acknowledges that Hooper is a terrific player, but says that it remains to be seen whether or not the 25-year-old will fit into Atlanta's budget.

“I think he's a young, ascending player, and he has performed at a very high level for us,” said Blank, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. “I think he's worthy, certainly, of a new contract based on market. Whether that fits in with us and our salary cap remains to be seen. I will tell you with all our free agents, [general manager] Thomas Dimitroff and the personnel staff have spoken to agents and understand the direction of where things are going. We've made it clear that we're making more final decisions after the Super Bowl.”

Hooper is coming off of a season in which he played 13 games and hauled in 75 receptions for 787 yards and six touchdowns en route to his second straight Pro Bowl appearance.

The San Mateo, Ca. native, who played his collegiate football at Stanford, was originally selected by the Falcons in the third round (81st pick overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft.

Hooper has shown improvement every season.

Atlanta went just 7-9 in 2019, missing the playoffs for the second consecutive year.