Falcons Ink Cb C.j. Henderson To New Two-year Deal

Ian Cunningham is not sitting around and waiting to lock up players the Atlanta Falcons feel good about. In fact, he just got his second new contract of the day done with a Falcons defender.

After the team reportedly locked up Cameron Thomas, they’ve signed veteran cornerback C.J. Henderson to a two-year deal. It’s well-deserved for a player who has gone from a first round bust in Jacksonville to a valuable starter in Atlanta, and it means Henderson will likely be in the starting mix at corner for 2027 and beyond. He’s earned it by battling his way up the depth chart here and beginning to really deliver on the promise that once made him a top pick.

Henderson was originally drafted ninth overall in 2020, ahead of fellow Falcons starter A.J. Terrell, and had an up-and-down tenure in Jacksonville that ended when the team shipped him off to Carolina alongside a fifth round pick for a third rounder and a backup tight end. Henderson was a part-time starter with more ups and downs from 2021 to 2023 with Carolina, and spent time with the Texans and Steelers before winding up on Atlanta’s practice squad. He did fine work in limited spot duty in 2025, but was pressed into more significant action with injuries piling up in 2026 and has been solid-to-stellar in every game except the rough matchup against the Bengals last week.

For the year, Henderson has allowed just 54.5% of the passes thrown his way to be completed for 252 yards, 10.5 yards per reception, three touchdowns, and five pass breakups. That completion percentage is the lowest number allowed by any Falcons defensive back this year, and he’s kept his missed tackle rate low while only being penalized once. It’s a renaissance year for Henderson, who has the coaching staff’s trust and is at worst a very high-end backup for Atlanta that they can count on to start for extended stretches when called upon; I would not be surprised if he keeps his starting job all year.

We don’t have the terms of the deal yet, but keeping Henderson around gives the Falcons a quality, deep cornerback corps well into 2028 with A.J. Terrell, Avieon Terrell, Billy Bowman Jr., Sydney Brown, and maybe Mike Hughes all here too. Congratulations to Henderson, and let’s hope he can keep this good thing going.