Falcons Pick Up Fifth-Year Option on A.J. Terrell

A.J. Terrell is now officially under contract with the Atlanta Falcons for the next two seasons.

Jeremy Brener | Apr 28, 2023

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Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons are making a decision regarding the future of cornerback A.J. Terrell ... and it isn't a hard one.

NFL Network is reporting that the Falcons are picking up Terrell's fifth-year option on his contract.

Terrell, 24, has proven to be worthy of his first-round status from the 2020 NFL Draft. In 2021, Terrell was named to the AP All-Pro Second Team while recording three interceptions and 81 tackles.

While Terrell was unable to maintain that standard in 2022, he still proved to be one of the more reliable cornerbacks in the league and a building block for the Falcons defense. All of that made picking up Terrell's option an easy choice for general manager Terry Fontenot and the front office.

This year, Terrell is expected to be a leader in the secondary while playing alongside Richie Grant, new trade acquisition Jeff Okudah (the No. 3 overall pick from the 2020 NFL Draft) and new signee Jessie Bates III.

Terrell is now under contract until the end of the 2024 season. He will play out the final year of his standard four-year deal this upcoming season, which holds a cap hit of around $4.5 million. But then, Terrell gets a handsome, well-deserved raise to $12.344 million in 2024.

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Published Apr 28, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.