Source: Falcons Re-Sign Starting CB Mike Hughes to 3-Year Deal

The Atlanta Falcons are keeping one of their top internal free agents.

Atlanta has re-signed cornerback Mike Hughes to a three-year contract worth up to $18 million, a league source confirmed to Atlanta Falcons on SI. FOX Sports reporter Jordan Schultz, who first broke the news, said Hughes will receive $9.6 million guaranteed.

The Falcons' plan is for Hughes to start, as they felt their defense performed better when he was on the field. Hughes started all 15 of his appearances for Atlanta last season, collecting 66 tackles, four tackles for loss and six passes defended.

Hughes allowed 46 catches for 483 yards and three touchdowns on 66 targets, according to Pro Football Reference. It was his first season as a professional solely working on the outside, which is his natural position, and he found comfort in Atlanta's zone-heavy scheme.

A first-round pick by the Minnesota Vikings in 2018, Hughes has battled a rocky road.

He played in six games as a rookie, drawing a pair of starts while holding a prominent role in Minnesota's secondary -- but a torn left ACL suffered in Week 6 knocked him out for the rest of the year.

The recovery process lingered throughout the entirety of the next year, and he missed the first two weeks of the 2019 season as a result. Once he returned, Hughes appeared in 14 games with three starts.

Then, in the season finale, Hughes suffered a neck injury that put him on injured reserve and rendered him inactive for the postseason. He returned for the 2020 season and started the first two games, but he played in only four games before being shut down due to another neck ailment.

He was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs thereafter and he played in 17 games with five starts. In a secondary with standout players such as L'Jarius Sneed and Charvarius Ward, Hughes played over 500 defensive snaps, or 45% of Kansas City's total.

Shortly after the start of free agency 2022, Hughes signed a one-year contract with the Detroit Lions. He appeared in 16 games with six starts, but didn't necessarily feel at home. He totaled 51 tackles and three tackles for loss while being on the field for 53% of the Lions' snaps on defense.

Then, Hughes ventured to Atlanta, he reunited with assistant head coach/defense Jerry Gray, who was the Vikings' defensive backs coach when Minnesota selected Hughes in 2018.

Hughes and Gray have been together for the past two years. Now, they're scheduled to spend at least three more seasons alongside one another.