Desmond Trufant's Contract Option Picked Up by Falcons

In what was likely a no-brainer decision, the Atlanta Falcons picked up the fifth-year option on cornerback Desmond Trufant's contract Friday:

Trufant, 25, made 42 tackles and one interception in 2015. He earned his first Pro Bowl berth and emerged as one of the NFC South's best lockdown corners.

"That's just for my agent to handle," Trufant said of the fifth-year option, per Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. "I'm here. I plan on being here a long time. And I'm just here working, bonding with the team. But I know, that's my agent. They're going to handle all that. But I'm just here ready to work."

Trufant was the No. 22 overall pick in 2013. He'll make the average salaries of the players ranked third to 25th among cornerbacks. McClure estimated Trufant will make around $8 million in 2016, a number basically on par with the entirety of his first four seasons.

No matter, Trufant will still be a steal barring some huge letdown in performance. The Washington product has started all 48 games since arriving from Washington, picking off six passes and making marked improvements each season. Pro Football Focus had him among the game's 10 best cornerbacks for most of 2015 despite a disappointing overall season in Atlanta.

Football Outsiders ranked the Falcons 22nd on defense, 21st against the pass. Opposing quarterbacks didn't find much paydirt against Atlanta's secondary (19 touchdowns), but they completed 66 percent of their passes, one of the worst rates in football.

Still, Trufant is the exception to an otherwise shaky secondary. There's little doubt the Falcons plan on keeping him around for the long term, which could mean a big extension is in the offing.

The going rate for top corners is somewhere in the $12-14 million per season range at this point, and Trufant would be smart to walk away if the Falcons come with anything less. It's more likely we'll have to wait until next offseason for the two sides to get really serious about the deal, but Friday's move is a formality that allows the Falcons more time. 

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