Atlanta Falcons give CB Desmond Trufant five-year extension

The Atlanta Falcons have locked in a key member of the team's defense for the long term, agreeing a five-year contract extension with cornerback Desmond Trufant.

As Trufant was already under contract until the end of the 2017 season, the extension could keep the 26-year-old in Atlanta through the 2022 campaign.

Huffington Post reporter Jordan Schultz, who was first to report the deal, says the contract is worth $69 million, including almost $42m in guaranteed money.

Trufant, the Falcons' first-round pick out of Washington in 2013, has come to be regarded as one of the NFL's true 'shutdown' cornerbacks.

He made the Pro Bowl in 2015 and was having a strong campaign in 2016 until a season-ending pectoral muscle injury after nine games.