Tag: 5th year option

Ravens GM Eric DeCosta noncommittal on picking up fifth-year option of ILB Patrick Queen

Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta talked about inside linebacker Patrick Queen and his fifth-year option

Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta was joined by head coach John Harbaugh and director of player personnel Joe Hortiz at the pre-draft luncheon in Owings Mills. A lot of topics were discussed, from briefly quarterback Lamar Jackson to specific positions in the draft that the Ravens might be targeting.

DeCosta was asked about inside linebacker Patrick Queen and his potential fifth-year option and if they plan on picking it up. He was very noncommittal with his answer, seemingly not wanting to give away any information as the deadline approaches to make that decision.

“That will be a discussion we’ll have with Patrick [Queen]. I wouldn’t want to announce anything too premature with all you guys.”

Notably, at this time last year DeCosta said that the team would be picking up the fifth-year option of wide receiver Marquise Brown, who was then traded to the Arizona Cardinals. Baltimore traded for inside linebacker Roquan Smith at the 2022 trade deadline, giving the team a bit more flexibility with what they do at the position moving forward.

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Browns exercise the 5th-year option on CB Denzel Ward

Ward earned a higher figure based on his Pro Bowl berth in 2018

The Cleveland Browns were quite busy on the Friday before the 2021 NFL draft. In addition to exercising the fifth-year option on quarterback Baker Mayfield’s contract, the Browns also picked up the same option for cornerback Denzel Ward.

The move locks up the Pro Bowl cornerback through the 2022 season. Ward was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft and the fifth-year option comes with all first-rounders.

Ward, a Cleveland-area native, earned a Pro Bowl berth as a rookie in 2018. That status elevated his fifth-year option up to $13.294 million based on the criteria set by the NFL for players with one Pro Bowl nod in the first three seasons.

He has battled various injuries, but Ward remains one of the best cover corners in the entire league after three years playing for his hometown team. The fifth-year option does not prevent the Browns from reaching a long-term extension with Ward.

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Report: Lions will decline to pick up Jarrad Davis’ 5th year option

The Detroit Lions have declined to pick up the fifth-year option on 2017 first-round pick Jarrad Davis, making him an unrestricted free agent after the end of 2020 season.

In the past four years as Detroit Lions general manager, Bob Quinn has elected to pick up the fifth-year options on Taylor Decker (2016), Eric Ebron (2014) — who was released before his contract became fully guaranteed — and Ezekiel Ansah (2013), while 2015 first-round pick Laken Tomlinson was traded away before the option came into play.

This year Quinn needed to make a decision on the fifth-year option of 2017 first-round pick Jarrad Davis and according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport — whose report has been confirmed by multiple Lions beat writers –, Quinn has declined to pick it up, making Davis an unrestricted free agent after the end of 2020 season.

This move isn’t overly surprising as Davis had several factors working against him.

The first glaring obstacle is the way the roster has been constructed around him. The Lions recently drafted Jahlani Tavai in the second round of the 2019 draft, gave a contract extension to Christian Jones, and signed high-profile free agent Jamie Collins to a three-year deal — all of which will make Davis’ path to playing time challenging.

Not only will Davis be fighting for time, but he is coming off his worst statistical performance of his three years as a professional. He did five games due to injury — which is also a problem — but his per-game averages all declined. His tackles were below his career average (down from 6.53 to 5.73), as were his sacks (two in 2019 vs a career average of four per season), and passes defended (one in 2019 vs a career average of four per season).

The final — and likely biggest — deterrent for an extension was the cost of the contract. First-round pick selection (Davis was 21st) determines the contract formula, which for Davis is an average of third through 25th highest-paid players at his position (linebacker). That roughly works out to a 1-year, $10 million deal for the 2021 season, much too high for a player who could be in a rotational role moving forward.

Davis is still under contract with the Lions for the 2020 season and has a cap hit of just under $3.5 million. He is also a team captain, leader in the locker room and the team loves him as a person and always speaks highly of his character — but as we learned with Devon Kennard this past offseason, it’s all about what you do on the field.

If he produces between the lines, it’s not out of the question that Davis returns to Detroit in 2021 with a new contract, but there are a lot of obstacles he will need to overcome to make that happen.

Deadline approaching for Jarrad Davis and his 5th-year option

Not picking up the fifth-year option doesn’t mean the team is immediately cutting Davis.

The Detroit Lions have until the end of Monday’s deadline to decide if they are picking up the fifth-year contract option on linebacker Jarrad Davis.

On the surface, it seems unlikely the Lions will exercise the option. Picking up the option would put the team on the hook for just under $10 million in 2021 salary for Davis. That’s a lofty salary for a player who has not lived up to expectations in Detroit.

The team’s first-round pick in 2017, Davis has not been a bust. But he’s failed to consistently play well enough to merit such a financial commitment. After an impressive finish to the 2018 season, Davis often looked lost and out of position in 2019. He’s well-liked by teammates and is the closest thing the defense has to a vocal leader, however.

Not picking up the fifth-year option doesn’t mean the team is immediately cutting Davis. Instead, it means he will become an unrestricted free agent after the season. Davis could re-sign with the Lions at that point, too.

Andrew Berry, Kevin Stefanski prove men of their words on David Njoku

Andrew Berry, Kevin Stefanski prove men of their words on David Njoku by exercising the Browns TE’s fifth-year option

The Cleveland Browns have been a difficult team to trust in the last few years. The ever-changing front office and coaching staffs have often operated with just one hand clapping.

It’s early, but thus far the new regime of GM Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski are joined in hand. Even better, they have proven that their words mean something.

Unlike when Freddie Kitchens would gruffly state he’s not answering any questions on a topic and subsequently spend the next 10 minutes discussing said topic, or when Sashi Brown would tell players they were more than numbers before treating them exactly like a faceless number, the new Browns regime is backing up its words with actions. Picking up the fifth-year option on tight end David Njoku’s contract is a great example.

The Browns exercised the option on Njoku’s contract on Monday. Even after the first reports of the action started to leak out, skeptical fans and media wondered if it was legit. The team signed Austin Hooper in free agency to the richest deal ever signed by a tight end, then drafted promising young Harrison Bryant over the weekend.

Would they really keep three prominent tight ends? Are they still confident in Njoku, who has occasionally flashed greatness but largely underwhelmed in his first three seasons?

Berry and Stefanski both insisted to the skeptical masses that they did highly value Njoku. It wasn’t just diplomatic speak. They proved it by exercising Njoku’s option that will keep him in Cleveland through the end of the 2021 season.

Think of what that means to a player like Njoku, still precocious at just 23 years old. Think of what it means to the locker room, telling players that they’ll get the chance to prove themselves and won’t get thrown away hastily.

Men of their word. That’s a refreshing way for the Browns to conduct business.