Falcons Lock Down Cameron Thomas and CJ Henderson With Extensions

Falcons Secure Key Defensive Players

The Atlanta Falcons announced new contract extensions for defensive end Cameron Thomas and cornerback C.J. Henderson on Friday. Both players signed multiyear deals to remain with the team.

Thomas signed a three year contract extension worth up to 33 million dollars. The Falcons brought him in during the offseason on a one year deal worth 3.1 million dollars, and his performance earned him a longer stay. Equity Sports CEO Chris Cabott, Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham, and senior vice president Bryce Johnston finished the contract work on Thursday night.

Impact of Cameron Thomas

At 26 years old, Thomas has played 63.3 percent of the defensive snaps for Atlanta. That is the highest workload among all defensive linemen on the team. He has registered two sacks so far this season.

Thomas leads all Atlanta edge rushers who have at least 150 pass rush snaps in quarterback pressure rate at 13.5 percent. He also leads in quarterback hits with 12, which marks a career high for him.

The Arizona Cardinals drafted Thomas in the third round in 2022, making Atlanta his fourth team. He worked with head coach Kevin Stefanski for two seasons with the Cleveland Browns. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said Thomas demonstrates toughness, strain, and relentless effort every day. Ulbrich added that Thomas is someone the defense can really lean on.

Henderson Rewards the Secondary

Cornerback C.J. Henderson also earned a new contract with the team. The 28 year old agreed to a two year extension that guarantees him 11 million dollars and could reach up to 20 million dollars total.

Henderson entered the league as the ninth overall draft pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020. After spending time with other teams, he joined Atlanta last season on the practice squad. He has now worked his way up to start the last six games at boundary corner for the Falcons.

Ulbrich shared his excitement about Henderson, explaining that helping the corner start to reinvent himself brings him a ton of joy. He noted that he is excited for every opportunity Henderson gets to show the league who he is today.