Falcons CB A.J. Terrell near $81M extension

Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell agreed to a four-year, $81 million contract extension, according to reports Thursday.

Terrell was owed $12.34 million in 2024, the fifth-year team option on his rookie deal, but was in training camp and said in July he had no concerns about his contract.

NFL Network and ESPN reported the guarantees in the contract total $65.8 million, which would make Terrell the second-highest paid cornerback in the league behind Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander.

There were signs the agreement was in the works as far back as March at the NFL's spring meeting in Florida when general manager Terry Fontenot sang the praises of the team's No. 1 cornerback.

"What's cool about A.J. is I remember the first day that he got here several years ago, he was one of the first people I saw in the building, and he was constantly in the building and he's still like that," Fontenot said. "The worker, the consummate pro that he is, that's what you get excited because that's a hard position. ... The way that he works, he's just constantly growing, and that's important."

Terrell, 25, was the 16th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Clemson and earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2021. A physical presence in the secondary, Terrell has zero interceptions the past two seasons but has 247 tackles, 43 pass breakups and four forced fumbles in 61 career games (all starts).

--Field Level Media