FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — I stand firm in my opinion that A.J. Terrell deserves more credit than he’s been given for the career he’s had in Atlanta. This past season only furthered my personal argument and vendetta against the league at large for not recognizing Terrell as one of the premiere corners in the NFL.

Playing cornerback at this level is oftentimes a thankless job. If you mess up, it’s usually put on blast — even if your body of work points to one mess up as a fluke. Nobody is going to win every single rep. Receivers get paid to make the big plays, too. But good cornerbacks can win a lot of them, and Terrell more often than not does. Another sign of a corner’s worth can be found in the notion that people don’t talk about them because teams don’t test them.

An offensive coordinator’s scheme can specifically account for them, and quarterbacks can make the conscious choice to keep the ball out of their area. That’s what happened to Terrell not just in 2024, but throughout various points in his career.

Case in point this season? In the Falcons’ Week 17 game against the Washington Commanders, Terrell shadowed Terry McLaurin on 32 of his 34 routes, according to Next Gen Stats. He allowed just one reception for five yards on six targets. Not only did Jayden Daniels not want to test the matchup, but when he did, it was Terrell who came out on top.

The Falcons awarded Terrell last year with a sizeable contract extension. It made Terrell one of the highest-paid corners in the league. It’s a contract value he absolutely played up to in 2025.

He was arguably as shutdown as corners come, despite not receiving the recognition as such. But there’s more to this position in 2025 than Terrell (though he does play a major part in it). Let’s get into what the next season could hold for this group.