Cornerback AJ Terrell, 25, will be committed to the Atlanta Falcons for the next four years after the team and player agreed to a $81 million contract extension on Thursday morning. After attending the neighboring Westlake High School for his high school career, Terrell was fortunate enough to be selected by his hometown Falcons team in the NFL Draft in 2020 with the 16th overall choice. Only fifteen miles from home, Terrell will now have the chance to pursue a bright future, and he recognizes how unique his circumstances are.

Many players don’t have the chance to play in their hometown, build a name for themselves, and win the affection of the supporters while still growing up here and pursuing an NFL career at home.

According to Atlanta Falcons beat reporter Tori McElhaney, Terrell stated following the agreement, “I don’t take none of it for granted.” “I always play for my family, the city, and the team when I go out there.”

Like Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson, AJ Terrell hasn’t garnered a lot of national attention due to his lack of interceptions over the course of his career.

The Atlanta Falcons’ insignificance during his four seasons in the NFL also plays a role in this, but Terrell has a strong case to be among the highest paid cornerbacks in NFL history.

In just his second season in the NFL, he was awarded a 2nd Team All-Pro by Pro Football Focus, where he was ranked as the 24th-highest graded cornerback in the league.

In 2024, AJ Terrell and the Falcons want to surprise the rest of the league.
The Atlanta Falcons are expected to do quite well in 2024, at least in terms of where they finish in the NFC South.

Atlanta is anticipated to break its division title drought this year thanks to a redesigned squad, a new starting quarterback, three recent top ten picks, and a defense that should be dependable and led by AJ Terrell, Jessie Bates, and Justin Simmons in the secondary.

Furthermore, since that seems to be how AJ Terrell handles things, even if they do, you can reasonably expect that he will continue to operate under the radar.

Unsettling Atlanta Falcons rumors regarding the edge rusher’s reputation.

By acquiring edge rusher Matthew Judon with a third-round pick before to the 2024 NFL season, the Atlanta Falcons took a calculated chance to strengthen their defense. There may have been another concern, but Atlanta was already aware of the risks involved in giving up a high first pick for a 32-year-old edge rusher who had recently suffered a serious injury.

Judon, who turns 32 on August 15, only appeared in four games for the New England Patriots in the previous campaign. Despite his impressive 4 sacks and 9 QB hits during that little period, the Patriots showed little interest in locking him down for a long-term contract this summer.

As Judon looked for a new deal, New England started shopping him around the league, and soon his name began to surface in NFL trade rumors. The Patriots gave Judon the freedom to choose which team he wanted to play for this season, since the Falcons and Chicago Bears were both interested in signing him.

The seasoned pass rusher wanted to play for a team that he thought could contend, so he decided on Atlanta. He also stated clearly in his opening press conference that he intended to establish himself in 2024 and wouldn’t urge the Falcons for a new deal. Even if he might have received some assistance from supporters, it seems that not many of them are still in New England.

According to Albert Breer of NBC Sports Boston, Judon wasn’t very popular in Foxborough with the front office and coaching staff of the Patriots.

“The coaches and front-office staff did not think as highly of Judon as you may have. They were simply tired of him, and that was a big part of it in the end. They had the impression that there was Judon in the public eye and Judon in private. Additionally, Judon has sort of evolved into an operator behind the scenes, and his persona with the building’s occupants has gotten stale.

Judon’s contract was largely cited as the reason for his departure from New England, but it also seems like the squad was prepared for Judon to no longer be present at club headquarters. Moreover, Judon’s previous squad seemed to partially agree with the viewpoint.

And to be very honest, it was a problem in Baltimore as well. It isn’t to imply that he is a horrible man, but some of the cheerleader-esque content that appeared on social media caused a lot of people in the organization to roll their eyes. After that, when he started to cause issues this summer, the decision was made to remove him from the team immediately away since we were attempting to start a new program and didn’t want him to be a distraction.

It’s important to note that whenever a high-profile athlete departs from a team, information that could harm the player is frequently leaked by employees of that team. It damages the player’s public image regardless of whether it is entirely true or is done to win over the fan base.

Judon will now report to head coach Raheem Morris, who is well respected for his leadership and defensive acumen and is adored by players throughout the league. Judon’s one-year contract and the Falcons’ competitiveness make it unlikely that his oddball personality or social media habits will cause problems this season.