The Atlanta Falcons have been looking to attain more draft capital in Ian Cunningham's first offseason as GM, but that doesn't mean they should sell their soul to do so. Jessie Bates has been looked at as a potential trade candidate, which at least makes some sense, but trading A.J. Terrell makes no sense.
The Falcons' secondary is thin enough, so if Cunningham wants to add more draft capital and make more picks, this is not the way to do it. The model of accruing as many compensatory picks as possible makes more sense, but unfortunately, that won't take effect in Atlanta until the 2027 draft.
That didn't deter Pro Football Focus' John Kosko though. While labeling the biggest trade asset for all 32 teams during the 2026 NFL Draft, Kosko named Terrell as the most coveted trade chip the DIrty Birds have, which is false because of the 48th pick, but Atlanta also has no incentive to trade him.
There is no world in which the Atlanta Falcons would consider A.J. Terrell this offseason
Honestly, if Cunningham and Stefanski want to make more picks, just trade down from 48. Even trading Bates makes more sense following the Sydney Brown acquisition, but there is no logical explanation for the Falcons trading away an All-Pro cornerback just to add another mid-round pick.
Let's look at the cornerback room in the event that Terrell is traded. Mike Hughes, Billy Bowman Jr., Darnay Holmes, Natrone Brooks, Cobee Bryant, C.J. Henderson, and the oft-injured Clark Phillips. This CB room is not only awful, I trust nobody here to hold their own against the NFL's best wideouts, especially since they've hardly added help at cornerback this offseason.
Part of why the 28-year-old seemingly struggled in 2025 is because there wasn't much talent around him at cornerback, so trading him and making the room even worse is textbook tomfoolery. Hughes has no business being a CB1, and this would be investing too much stock in the 2026 CB prospects.
The Clemson product was also dealing with injuries, yet he still recorded 12 pass breakups on the season and was the leader of a pass defense that was among the best in football for most of the year. Besides, the Falcons just restructured his contract, so what sense would it make to trade him now?
Terrell may not be as elite as he was a couple of seasons ago, but he's still one of the better cornerbacks in the league. Draft capital in the modern NFL is a lottery ticket, so even though Cunningham is willing to take risks in his quest for more draft picks, this is a bit too bold.