FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons made a substantial investment on Chris Lindstrom last spring, anointing him the highest-paid guard in NFL history with a five-year, $102.5 million contract.

During the 2023 season, Lindstrom rewarded Atlanta’s faith.

Starting all 16 games in which he played, Lindstrom earned second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors for the second consecutive season. He was Pro Football Focus‘s highest-rated guard in 2023, posting grades of 87.5 as a run blocker and 78.6 as a pass blocker.

But is Lindstrom’s the best guard in the NFL? In 2022, he was PFF’s highest graded player... period… at 95.0. In an ESPN poll of league coaches and executives, the 2019 first-round pick came in at No. 2, trailing only Zack Martin of the Dallas Cowboys.

Lindstrom, who was ranked No. 7 last year, received votes in the top-two on 44 percent of the ballots and has plenty of fans across the league.

“He’s slightly better than the field as a run blocker,” an anonymous NFL defensive line coach told Jeremy Fowler on ESPN+. “I’d probably put him up against anyone there. And he’s improved enough as a pass blocker that he’s solid there.”

An AFC executive added that Lindstrom has been his top guard for “a few years,” and his durability – starts in 66 of Atlanta’s last 67 games – have made him a staple on an ascending Falcons offensive line.

Last season, Lindstrom allowed only three sacks, two quarterback hits and 15 total pressures. He was flagged for seven penalties, an abnormally high number for the 27-year-old, who had just six total penalties in his first four seasons.

But while Lindstrom is highly thought-of both inside the Falcons’ facilities and by many outside, there’s variation as to how fond some are of the former Boston College standout.

“He was paid a lot because the team had to take care of him,” an unnamed NFC executive told ESPN. “No real negatives here, just not elite in my opinion.”

This, in the No. 1 guard debate, is where Martin enters the fold.

After five consecutive first-team All-Pro nods, Martin has long been the standard at the position – though in 2023, he didn’t perform quite as well as Lindstrom. According to PFF, Martin allowed four sacks, seven hits and 22 quarterback hurries while being flagged four times.

During training camp last summer, Lindstrom effused praise on Martin, dubbing him a future Hall of Famer.

“Zack’s the best player in the NFL,” Lindstrom said in the summer of 2023. “I have more respect for Zack than anybody – he’s phenomenal. He’s somebody I looked up watching when I was coming into the NFL, (have) watched my whole career, and he’s somebody I always try and play like and always try and learn (from).

“But Zack’s the best.”

Martin hasn’t commented on Lindstrom, but the two share a stout relationship. As two of the league’s best, their paths have crossed at the Pro Bowl each of the past two seasons.

So, who’s better?

It’s ultimately a matter of preference – for some, Martin’s seniority wins out, while for others, Lindstrom’s budding dominance is enough to take the crown.

But this much is certain: Another chapter to the Martin vs. Lindstrom conversation will be written this fall, with the first several lines looming as training camp nears.