Jason Cole of B/R, citing multiple sources, reports that Falcons CB Desmond Trufant wants to be among the highest-paid players on the team and in the NFL.
However, Cole says that there’s a holdup in the matter, as the Falcons would prefer to hold off on a new contract for Trufant because of the fact that they’ve waited until players are in the final year of their respective contracts before working on a new agreement. Atlanta did this with both QB Matt Ryan and WR Julio Jones, so there’s an obvious precedent from the team.
The Falcons want to wait another year and remain consistent in their approach to locking up notable players.
A few months ago, Atlanta exercised their fifth-year option on Trufant, so he’s under team control through the 2017 season.
The fifth-year option will run the Falcons $8 million in 2017, but is guaranteed only for injury and won’t prevent them from working on a long-term extension over the next year.
Trufant, 25, was taken with the No. 22 overall pick back in 2013. He’s in the final year of his four-year, $8.165 million rookie contract and stands to make a base salary of $918,558 for the 2016 season.
In 2015, Trufant appeared in all 16 games for the Falcons and recorded 42 tackles, one sack, an interception, two fumbles recoveries with one being returned for a touchdown and 11 pass defenses. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 13 cornerback out of 111 qualifying players.
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