Second-round draft signings annually drag on longest during the offseason. Even as the 2011 CBA implemented a slot system for rookie deals, guaranteed money represents a variable — and the second round has brought a battleground of sorts on this front for several years.
Last year saw a slew of second-rounders receive fully guaranteed contracts, as the Saints’ decision to give No. 40 overall pick Tyler Shough four guaranteed years forced the hands of a few teams. The line of demarcation for fully guaranteed rookie contracts is moving well beyond No. 40 this year, with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reporting the Falcons’ agreement with second-round cornerback Avieon Terrell will be fully guaranteed.
Atlanta announced Terrell’s signing earlier this afternoon, but the guarantee component is certainly the most notable takeaway here. The Falcons chose Terrell 48th overall. By striking a fully guaranteed agreement with the Clemson product in mid-May, the Falcons will box in a handful of teams who made picks between Nos. 41 and 47. The agents for those players will have clear paths to ensure their clients land fully guaranteed rookie contracts.
The Falcons have also signed fourth-round defensive linemen Anterio Thompson to his rookie contract, per a team announcement. This completes Atlanta’s rookie-class signings. The team did not hold a first-round pick in this year’s draft, but it will set an interesting precedent for a player with a close connection to a former Falcons first-rounder. Avieon enters the NFL six years after brother AJ did. The Terrells will headline Atlanta’s CB room moving forward.
Trading their 2026 first-rounder to the Rams to move up 20 spots (for James Pearce Jr.) in the 2025 first round, the Falcons made Avieon Terrell the centerpiece of their ’26 draft. The younger Terrell has a path to starting alongside his brother, who has been Atlanta’s No. 1 corner for many years. Viewed as a player who may fit best in the slot, Avieon Terrell earned second-team All-American acclaim at Clemson last season. The first Tigers All-American CB in nine years, Terrell earned this accolade without notching an interception. He did, however, force five fumbles to bring his career total to eight.
Avieon, 21, is nearly seven years younger than AJ. The younger Terrell CB sibling is also an Atlanta native. Expectations will be relatively high for the younger Terrell, though with the Falcons rostering AJ and other vets at the position, an onramp exists here. Atlanta has Mike Hughes as a starter option opposite AJ Terrell, while 2025 draftee Billy Bowman saw extensive slot time during an injury-plagued rookie season.
When the 2011 CBA reshaped rookie-scale deals, that year’s first-round group did not all receive fully guaranteed pacts. As recently as 2024, no second-rounder secured one. The Saints’ Shough decision has become transformative, as after eight second-rounders received fully guaranteed accords in 2025, the Terrell contract positions this year’s second round on track to have at least 16 such players.
The prospects chosen between Nos. 41 and 47 (Bengals EDGE Cashius Howell, Saints DT Christen Miller, Dolphins LB Jacob Rodriguez, Lions EDGE Derrick Moore, Ravens EDGE Zion Young, Buccaneers LB Josiah Trotter and Steelers WR Germie Bernard) will have Terrell’s camp to thank for favorable terms soon.