FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. --- Michael Jenkins believes the Atlanta Falcons have only begun to show what they can accomplish.

"When you look back on it, great teams of the past kind of had the same guys there together throughout their careers," he said Wednesday. "Hopefully we'll have something like that here."

One day after signing a four-year extension worth a reported $20 million, Jenkins returned to the practice field, running routes alongside Roddy White and catching passes from rookie quarterback Matt Ryan.

The chance to spend the next several seasons in an offense led by Ryan, Atlanta's new franchise cornerstone and the NFL's No. 3 overall draft pick, was too significant for Jenkins to postpone.

Jenkins gave general manager Thomas Dimitroff and coach Mike Smith reason to believe he had far more to offer than he showed in his first four years with the Falcons.

It was Jenkins who caught Ryan's first NFL pass, a 62-yard touchdown in a season-opening win over Detroit. And it was Jenkins who ran the perfect route and had the presence of mind to step out of bounds with 1 second remaining in the play that set up Jason Elam's game-winning field goal in October against Chicago.

Jenkins also scored a pair of touchdowns at Oakland, the first of which came against DeAngelo Hall, a former teammate whom the Falcons drafted No. 8 overall in 2004. Twenty-one picks later, Atlanta traded up to acquire Jenkins, but their early careers hardly compared.

Hall made the Pro Bowl twice. Jenkins, whose Falcons (7-4) visit San Diego (4-7) on Sunday, became an afterthought.

"I've been through a lot, obviously, in these five years," Jenkins said. "So you just stay focused because in this league it's kind of about the mentally strong and being able to endure and go through whatever obstacles might come up. It's been up and down, but I'm glad to be where I am right now."

A former Ohio State standout with a rangy 6-foot-4 frame, Jenkins lacked a major role in Atlanta's offense until Dimitroff and Smith were hired 10 months ago.

The source of Jenkins' struggles was twofold. He developed a reputation for dropping passes in losses at the Georgia Dome -- like the 62-yarder that fell through his fingers against the New York Giants in 2006 and the ball that slipped away last year and allowed Saints safety Roman Harper to score an easy touchdown.

Jenkins also played his first three years in an imbalanced attack led by improvisational quarterback Michael Vick.

White is the obvious No. 1, ranking as the NFL's third-leading receiver with 973 yards. Jenkins has 33 catches, 29 less than White, for 498 yards and three TDs. The Falcons believe Jenkins' production, however, can only improve if he stays healthy and Ryan continues to benefit from the powerful play of running back Michael Turner and the acrobatic display of White.

"I'm excited," Jenkins said. "I think we really have something going with what coach Smith and the offensive staff brought with them."