FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Four seasons down. At least five to go.
Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell's contract was officially extended through the 2028 season on Thursday.
Terrell has started 61 games for the Falcons since he was selected with the No. 16 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He has compiled 247 tackles, 43 pass breakups, four interceptions, four forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a sack in that time.
Those career stats are all very surface level, though.
Below are three deeper statistics, accompanied by either a nuanced number or memorable moment, that help tell the story of Terrell's career – so far.
62: The number of defensive snaps Terrell took in his 2020 rookie debut.
Another way to put it would be 100%. Terrell was indeed out there for every single one of the Falcons' defensive plays against the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 13, 2020, ultimately a 38-25 loss.
This is important because it set the tone for the remainder of that 2020 season and the three that followed.
Terrell has started in 61 of a possible 67 games for the Falcons. Of those 61 games, he took 100% of the defensive snaps in 39 of them. He played at least 90% in 51 overall.
Since the Falcons drafted Terrell, they haven't provided him with a consistent running mate. Terrell's counterpart has changed each year and multiple times in most cases. Kendall Sheffield, Isaiah Oliver and Darqueze all took turns opposite Terrell in 2020. Fabian Moreau was Terrell's 2021 partner. Darren Hall, Cornell Armstrong and Casey Hayward shared the field in 2022. And then Jeff Okudah, Clark Phillips III and Tre Flowers most recently manned the other side in 2023.
So, 62 defensive snaps signified just the start of Terrell's status as a secondary staple.
*Nuanced number*: Through his four-year career, Terrell has taken 84.1% of the defensive snaps in his 61 game appearances. That percentage ranks him No. 6 among active cornerbacks with at least 61 game appearances between 2020-23.
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. The attempt counts dropped significantly in the years that followed, though, presumably because Terrell proved he's more than capable in coverage.
Here's a season-by-season look, per Pro Football Reference:
- 2020: 71 completions | 106 targets | 67%
- 2021: 43 completions | 86 targets | 50%
- 2022: 42 completions | 75 targets | 56%
- 2023: 45 completions | 81 targets | 55.6%
- Total: 201 completions | 348 targets | 57.8%
There have been only eight games in which Terrell allowed 100% of the passes in his coverage to be completed – two in 2020, three in 2022 and three in 2023. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there have been four games in which no balls got by Terrell – one in 2021, one in 2022 and two in 2023. There have been 23 games in which Terrell has not allowed more than 50% of the passes thrown his way to be completed. That's good for about a third – 37.7% to be exact – of his game appearances.
So, allowing a completion 57.8% of the time seems rather high for Terrell. He has proven to be more lockdown than that in recent seasons. Without the rookie year, his percentage would be 53.7%, which seems more fitting. This season – 2024 – may help his career average.
*Nuanced number*: The 57.8% completion rate places Terrell at No. 4 among active cornerbacks who have played in at least 61 games since 2020, and been targeted at least 300 times .
3: The number of interceptions Terrell totaled in 2021.
It has been a minute since Terrell had an interception. Two years, actually. But in that 2021 season, Terrell had a personal-best trio of triumphs against opposing quarterbacks.
Terrell picked off Mac Jones in the Falcons' 25-0 loss to the New England Patriots on Nov. 18, 2021, Cam Newton in the Falcons' 29-21 win over the Carolina Panthers on Dec. 12, 2021 and Josh Allen in the Falcons' 29-15 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Jan. 2, 2022. The last one on that list doubles as Terrell's most recent interception.
Terrell was named to The Associated Press' All-Pro second team after that 2021 season. He tied former Falcons inside linebacker Foyesade Oluokun for most picks in Atlanta. Terrell also tied 21 other players for sixth-most interceptions in league.
For context: Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs had an NFL-best 11 interceptions in 2021.
So, three is the current bar for Terrell. Perhaps in 2024, with a new contract inked, that can be topped. He's already off to a good start with two interceptions in training camp this summer.
*Memorable moment*: Terrell's first-ever interception came as a rookie against the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 18, 2020. That's right. Terrell actually got his first pick off current Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins. That turnover also led to an Atlanta touchdown, further cushioning the Falcons' lead for a 40-23 victory.
An additional fun fact about that interception, it doubled as Terrell's first pass breakup.
