It certainly seems like a Falcons, A.J. Terrell contract extension is on the horizon

The Falcons have five major tasks to do this offseason.

The NFL Draft is later this month, and Atlanta will have to create some more cap space to sign its rookie class. They’ll also need more cap space to fill out the defensive side of the ball.

Terry Fontenot has until the beginning of May to exercise Kyle Pitts’ fifth-year option, but he’s got a more pressing matter — a new contract for A.J. Terrell.

The 2020 first-round pick is set to play on his fifth-year option this year and is expected to be extended this offseason. Given his 2021 All-Pro campaign and overall steady play, Terrell is in line for quite the payday.

The Falcons haven’t talked much about it, but all Fontenot did was praise the cornerback. Atlanta’s GM told Daniel Flick of Sports Illustrated basically everything except, “We plan on extending A.J..”

“The worker, the consummate pro that he is, that’s what you get excited about, but the mindset that he has, the way that he works, he’s just a consummate pro. And that’s important,” Fontenot said. “Again, it’s a premiere position. Like we talked about pass rushers, cover corner is a premiere position. But love everything about A.J.”

It’s only a matter of time before an extension is announced. The Falcons made Chris Lindstrom the highest-paid guard in football last offseason, and we should anticipate a similar deal for Terrell, but the team’s GM isn’t giving anything away other than how much the Falcons want him.

“We’ll never get into those private conversations,” Fontenot said. “Those are things that we’ll talk specifically with him and his agent about, and at the appropriate time, make everyone aware of it. But again, love AJ and everything he’s about.”

Terrell is likely looking at a four or five-year contract worth anywhere from $19-20 million in average annual salary. That would put him in the same realm as Jaylon Johnson, La’Jarius Sneed, Trevon Diggs, Marshon Lattimore, Marlon Humphrey, and Jalen Ramsey.

That’s some pretty good company, but A.J. Terrell deserves it.

—

Photographer: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire