Cornerback AJ Terrell’s contract was extended through the 2028 season on Thursday. Terrin Waack
FLOWERY BRANCH, Georgia – Four seasons are over. At least five more are still to go.
Cornerback AJ Terrell’s contract with the Atlanta Falcons was officially extended through the 2028 season on Thursday.
Terrell has started 61 games for the Falcons since being selected No. 16 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft. During that time, he has amassed 247 tackles, 43 pass breakups, four interceptions, four forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one sack.
However, these career statistics are all very superficial.
Below are three more detailed stats, accompanied by a nuanced number or memorable moment, that help tell the story of Terrell’s career so far.
Question of the week: Which camp battle has seen the most upheaval? How to watch Jaguars vs. Falcons: Time, live stream, TV, radio Falcons release final roster ahead of 53-man roster decisions 62: The number of defensive snaps Terrell played in his rookie debut in 2020.
Another way to put it is 100%. Terrell was actually involved in every single defensive play the Falcons made on September 13, 2020, against the Seattle Seahawks, who ultimately lost 38-25.
This is important because it set the tone for the rest of the 2020 season and the three seasons that followed.
Terrell started 61 of 67 possible games for the Falcons. In 39 of those 61 games, he played 100% of the defensive snaps. In total, he played at least 90% of the time in 51 games.
Since the Falcons drafted Terrell, they have not given him a consistent running mate. Terrell’s counterpart has changed every year, in most cases multiple times. Kendall Sheffield, Isaiah Oliver and Darqueze all took turns at Terrell’s side in 2020. Fabian Moreau was Terrell’s partner in 2021. Darren Hall, Cornell Armstrong and Casey Hayward shared the field in 2022. And then most recently Jeff Okudah, Clark Phillips III and Tre Flowers manned the other side in 2023.
Thus, 62 defensive snaps marked only the beginning of Terrell’s status as a secondary support.
*Nuanced number*: Over the course of his four-year career, Terrell has taken 84.1% of the defensive snaps in 61 game appearances, a percentage that ranks sixth among active cornerbacks with at least 61 game appearances between 2020 and 2023.
57.8: The percentage of passes completed against Terrell in his career.
Teams took the most shots against Terrell in 2020, which is understandable since he was a rookie, but the number of attempts dropped significantly in subsequent years, presumably because Terrell proved he was more than capable in coverage.
Here is a season-by-season breakdown according to Pro Football Reference:
2020: 71 completions | 106 goals | 67% 2021: 43 completions | 86 goals | 50% 2022: 42 completions | 75 goals | 56% 2023: 45 completions | 81 goals | 55.6% Total: 201 completions | 348 goals | 57.8%
There have been only eight games in which Terrell allowed 100% of the passes in his coverage – two in 2020, three in 2022 and three in 2023. On the other end of the spectrum, there have been four games in which Terrell didn’t get the ball – one in 2021, one in 2022 and two in 2023. There have been 23 games in which Terrell has allowed no more than 50% of the passes thrown his way. That’s about a third – 37.7%, to be exact – of his game appearances.
Therefore, allowing completions 57.8% of the time seems pretty high for Terrell. He has proven to be more secure in recent seasons. Without his rookie year, his percentage would be 53.7%, which seems more appropriate. This season – 2024 – could help his career average.
*Nuanced number*: With a completion rate of 57.8%, Terrell ranks 4th among active cornerbacks who have played in at least 61 games and been targeted at least 300 times since 2020.
3: Terrell’s total interceptions in 2021.
It’s been a minute since Terrell intercepted a pass. Two years, actually. But in the 2021 season, Terrell set three personal bests in wins against opposing quarterbacks.
Terrell intercepted a pass from Mac Jones in the Falcons’ 25-0 loss to the New England Patriots on November 18, 2021, one from Cam Newton in the Falcons’ 21-29 win over the Carolina Panthers on December 12, 2021, and one from Josh Allen in the Falcons’ 29-15 loss to the Buffalo Bills on January 2, 2022. The last item on this list is also Terrell’s most recent interception.
Terrell was named to the Associated Press All-Pro second team after that 2021 season. He was tied with former Falcons inside linebacker Foyesade Oluokun for most interceptions in Atlanta. Terrell was also tied with 21 other players for the sixth-most interceptions in the league.
For context, Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs had the NFL’s best performance in 2021 with 11 interceptions.
So three is the current benchmark for Terrell. Perhaps this can be surpassed with a new contract in 2024. With two interceptions in training camp this summer, he is already off to a good start.
*Memorable moment*: Terrell’s first-ever interception came as a rookie on October 18, 2020 against the Minnesota Vikings. That’s right. Terrell got his first interception from current Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins. That turnover also led to a touchdown for Atlanta, which further extended the Falcons’ lead and led to a 40-23 victory.
Another fun fact about this interception is that it was also Terrell’s first pass defense.
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