Club Record Signing: Falcons Favorite Star Signed a Four-Year Contract Extention, He is the Club Highest Ever Paid Player.
The Atlanta cornerback has a four-year contract with the Falcons.
Head coach Raheem Morris stated that one of the most admirable things he seen throughout the final month of training camp and the preseason was A.J. Terrell’s work ethic.
It is now necessary to explore the context of this statement. The Falcons and Terrell’s team had been in contact for weeks about a contract. This past Thursday marked the conclusion of those negotiations when the Falcons said they had reached an agreement with Terrell on a four-year contract extension, keeping the former first-round pick in Atlanta through the 2028 campaign.
And it was one heck of a contract. With an effective fully guaranteed value of $65.8, the $81.5 million agreement put Terrell among the highest-paid cornerbacks in league history, according to reports.
Despite everything, Morris claimed that what made this preseason unique was the fact that Terrell’s daily appearance at work concealed the reality that everything was building toward a climax.
“I don’t think anybody knew he was up (for an extension), and that was the most beautiful thing about the whole process,” Morris said. We are in private discussions, drafting a contract. Terry Fontenot, the general manager, is being spoken to by his agency. Our financial advisors are in communication with Terry and his representative. A.J. did nothing more than show up for work, play cornerback, lead the defensive backs, give us great energy during practice, tackle, knock down passes, improve, go to work, and just play amid all of this.”
Terrell never doubted that, when it came to contract negotiations, he would do anything but work.
“My calling is football. I never really gave the contract conversations much thought. That’s what I let my agent do. He works for that,” Terrell remarked. It wasn’t difficult for me to come in; I was just doing what I loved, with the team I loved, for the city. It was a calm night for me to sleep. I never gave the question “What if?” any thought. Everything will work itself out as long as I go out there and conduct business as usual, set an example, and make my presence known.”
Indeed, it did. Terrell will remain in his hometown for a another four years, “and hopefully forever,” now that he has an extension in place.
“That’s absolutely outstanding when a young man tells you that it’s one of the best days of his life,” Morris remarked in reference to Terrell’s signing day.
The element of Terrell’s story about his hometown adds to the moment’s beauty. When he was a young man, he played football for Westlake High School, which is located around 16 miles away from Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where he currently plays on Sundays. He attended college in the South as well, showcasing his skills at Clemson before to being selected by the Falcons with the 16th overall choice in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Terrell is, for the most part, still the same player he was when he signed with the Falcons four years ago, and they are still getting a return on their investment.
You knew what kind of man he was when we drafted him in the past. You were aware of his resolve,” Morris remarked. “… You knew he had a fight to him, a certain toughness and he’s done nothing but show us that since he’s been here.”
Terrell stated that he understands all of this. He also takes great pride in the hometown portion of his tale and has a great regard for the roots that gave rise to him. In fact, he’s going back to Westlake High School in the coming week. Under the Friday night lights, he will be honored and his jersey retired. Soon after, he will be in Mercedes-Benz Stadium to support his old team as Clemson kicks off the college football season against Georgia.
