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Atlanta Falcons cornerback Desmond Trufant is a talented football player. He’s arguably one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL and he absolutely should be compensated consistent with his elite status. 2017 is Trufant’s contract year, but the Falcons are eager to extend him in the near future.
Per Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole, the Falcons are presently hashing out his contract details, and they already have a salary range in mind.
#Falcons are expecting CB Desmond Trufant's next deal to range somewhere from $12.5M to $14M per year. They don't anticipate difficult nego
— Jason Cole (@JasonColeBR) March 7, 2017
Again, Trufant is already under contract for the 2017 season. Right now he’s scheduled to make about $8 million, about $5.4 million more than he made in 2016. That’s obviously a big raise. But if Cole’s report is accurate, his raise is going to be really big.
If true, Trufant is basically going to make Patrick Peterson money, or close to it. Spotrac estimates his market value is $9.2 million a year. (That’s obviously just their estimate based their methodology.)
There’s no denying Trufant’s talent level. He was a Pro Bowler in 2015 and he helped anchor the Falcons secondary in the first half of 2016. (Pro Football Focus handed him a grade of 78.9, 31st among qualified CBs.) If he doesn’t tear his pectoral, the Falcons defense is even better down the stretch and during their playoff run.
Me personally? I’d like them to stay closer to $12 million. But if they need to inch closer to $14 million to lock him in, I won’t lose any sleep.
Your thoughts?