Seahawks expected to decline Rashaad Penny’s 5th-year option

NFL Network Ian Rapoport reported that the Seattle Seahawks are expected to decline running back Rashaad Penny’s fifth-year option.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Monday that the Seattle Seahawks are expected to decline the fifth-year option on running back Rashaad Penny’s rookie contract. This could signal that the team will move on from him after the 2021 season.

Penny, of course, missed most of the 2020 season as a result of an ACL tear he suffered in 2019. He only played in three games and only mustered 34 rushing yards on 11 carries over that span. Over his three-year career thus far, he has accumulated 823 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 161 carries, while adding 17 receptions for 158 yards and an additional TD.

The recently extended Chris Carson is clearly a superior option at running back and the Seahawks may not see Penny as crucial to their long-term future. If the report is true, it is difficult to imagine Penny sticking around for the long haul.

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Saints pick up Marcus Davenport’s fifth-year option for 2022

The New Orleans Saints chose to exercise their fifth-year option with defensive end Marcus Davenport, securing their 2018 first round pick.

The Saints have made a somewhat-surprising decision to exercise their fifth-year option with defensive end Marcus Davenport, per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill. The option’s value will be $9.553 million, fully-guaranteed under the new collective bargaining agreement. The old CBA only guaranteed option payouts for injury.

Davenport, 24 years old, hasn’t met expectations after the Saints invested two first round picks to acquire him in a trade during the 2018 NFL draft. He’s appeared in 41 career games in three years (including the playoffs), but bagging only a dozen sacks while struggling to stay healthy. He’s dealt with foot and elbow issues throughout his career, so the Saints are buying time for him to try and hit his stride.

So he’s got two years to show them he’s worth investing a lucrative second contract in. If Davenport can’t get right, he might end up being just another athlete who missed out on reaching his potential. Here’s hoping he levels up.

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Should the Saints pick up Marcus Davenport’s fifth-year option?

The New Orleans Saints must make a decision on DE Marcus Davenport’s fifth-year option by May 3, choosing whether to keep him through 2022.

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It used to be simple to calculate how much a player’s fifth-round option would cost a team. Under the old NFL collective bargaining agreement, those numbers were based off of draft slot — top-10 picks against the rest of the first rounders. But the renegotiated CBA introduced a performance-based system that rewards players for getting on the field often and earning accolades like Pro Bowl nods (scroll to page 41 for details).

Which isn’t great news for New Orleans Saints defensive end Marcus Davenport. The 2018 first-round pick is not a free agent yet, but he will be in 2022 if the Saints choose to not exercise his fifth-year option, which New Orleans must make a decision on by May 3. Davenport has not met the snap counts benchmarks (having appeared on 40%, 50%, and 36% of defensive plays through his first three years), and he has not been voted into a Pro Bowl, which qualifies him only for the least-valuable tier.

So his fifth-year option will be determined by the cap percentage average of the 2020 transition tag, using the third through twenty-fifth highest salaries of his peers. That estimates Davenport’s fifth-year option as valued at $11,311,513. That number will change slightly once the 2021 salary cap is established, but not by much. Exercising the option will also fully guarantee his fourth- and fifth-year salaries.

Now that we have an idea of how much that would cost, we can make an educated guess at the problem in front of the Saints. Davenport hasn’t played up to his billing as a transformational pass rusher, though the defense has performed better with him in the lineup than without him. The issue is that he hasn’t taken any big strides since his rookie year, and his injuries have continued to pile up.

After racking up 30 quarterback pressures in 2018 (in 13 games) and 51 pressures in 2019 (through 13 games), Davenport took a step back with 37 pressures in 2020 (appearing in 11 games). That’s an average of 2.3 pressures per game in 2018, 3.9 in 2019, and 3.4 in 2020. He was also credited with just 1.5 sacks last season.

We’ve seen the Saints take a patient approach with players in a similar position; left guard Andrus Peat has a similar injury history and record of up-and-down play. Peat’s fifth-year option was exercised, and after a brief look into free agency he returned to sign a long-term contract with New Orleans. It’s very possible Davenport’s career takes a similar track, even though he plays a more highly-valued position.

And we just saw Trey Hendrickson break out with a career year in 2020, leading the team and ranking second-best in the NFL with 13.5 sacks. Maybe Davenport enjoys similar, sudden success in 2021. But based off his career so far and even the relatively-low fifth-year option value, the Saints would do better to let him play this deal out as-is.

There’s certainly logic in picking up the option and keeping Davenport under contract through 2022. But with so many other contract extensions to hammer out on the team — and, frankly, with so many better players ahead of Davenport in priority — this is a situation where the Saints should let Davenport bet on himself and go all in on 2021. If he finally meets expectations, he’ll be rewarded with a rich payday in 2022. If he falls short again, he might be out of football altogether.


Fifth-year options for NFL Draft class of 2017

Many decisions have been made about fifth-year options for the 2017 NFL Draft first-rounder. Some remain with the deadline May 4.

Busy time for NFL teams and the players they chose in the first round of the 2017 draft. Rookie contracts for NFL draftees are four years long. Contracts for players picked in the first round, however, carry a team option for a fifth year and if a team wishes to use it, the option must be exercised by May 4.

32. Ryan Ramczyk

 Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Saints picked up the option on offensive lineman Ryan Ramczyk in March. Ramczyk, taken from Wisconsin, has earned recognition on the All-Pro list in both 2018 (on the second team) and 2019 (on the first team).

Former Seahawks tackle Germain Ifedi reaches agreement with Bears

Germain Ifedi has found a new team, agreeing to a one-year deal with the Chicago Bears, where he could play guard instead of tackle.

The Seattle Seahawks signed four new offensive linemen in the first week of free agency, likely signaling the end of tackle Germain Ifedi’s tenure with the team.

That became a reality on Wednesday morning, when NFL Insider Ian Rapoport tweeted that Ifedi is signing a one-year deal with the Chicago Bears.

Terms of the contract were not announced.

Ifedi may get a chance to play some guard in Chicago. He played guard early in his career with the Seahawks, but spent the past few seasons exclusively as a right tackle – his more natural position.

A fresh start will be good for both Ifedi and the Seahawks. Ifedi’s tendency to get called for penalties and his poor performance as a pass blocker had worn out his welcome with many Seattle fans, and it allows the team to explore one of their newcomers – likely Brandon Shell or Cedric Ogbuehi – as a starter next season, if they don’t find a potential starter in the 2020 NFL draft.

Ifedi was a first round pick by the Seahawks in 2016, and will head to his first new team in the NFL after Seattle did not pick up his fifth-year option, which would have paid him $10.3 million in 2020.

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Saints pick up fifth-year options on Marshon Lattimore and Ryan Ramczyk

The New Orleans Saints exercised fifth-year options for Marshon Lattimore and Ryan Ramczyk, keeping them both around for the 2021 season.

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The first members of the 2017 NFL Draft class have had their fifth-year options picked up for the 2021 season, and they both play for the New Orleans Saints. ESPN’s Field Yates reported Thursday that the Saints exercised the options for both cornerback Marshon Lattimore and right tackle Ryan Ramczyk, keeping them both under team contract control for the next two years and, crucially, buying more time to hammer out long-term contract extensions for both of them.

Lattimore and Ramczyk being the first members of their draft class to have their options activated speaks to how highly-regarded they both are in New Orleans. We estimated earlier this offseason how much these options will be worth in 2021, but those figures will heighten between now and then as new contracts are paid out around the league.

Lattimore, the 11th overall pick out of Ohio State back in 2017, has been voted into two Pro Bowl appearances in his first three years. He was also selected as the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Ramczyk, the 32nd overall pick from Wisconsin that year, has strangely been snubbed for each Pro Bowl since while earning recognition on the All-Pro list in both 2018 (on the second team) and 2019 (on the first team).

For a quick refresher: because neither Lattimore nor Ramczyk were picked within the first ten selections, their fifth-year option values will be determined by the average of the highest-paid players at their positions (specifically, the 3rd- to 25th-highest annual salaries). For now, that puts them in the ballpark of $11.6 million for Lattimore and $12.8 million for Ramczyk.

And, just to remind everyone: the Saints picking up these fifth-year options does nothing to affect either player’s 2020 salary cap hits. These were expected moves that should do a lot to keep the Saints competitive in the future.

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Recent signings spell the end of Germain Ifedi’s tenure in Seattle

The Seahawks added three o-linemen in the first week of free agency, almost certainly spelling the end of Germain Ifedi’s tenure in Seattle.

The Seattle Seahawks’ recent binge of free agent offensive lineman likely spells the end of the Germain Ifedi era at right tackle.

Ifedi is an unrestricted free agent after the team did not tender him a fifth-year option last offseason, which would have paid the 25-year-old $10.3 million dollars in 2020.

Ifedi is expected to command a similar amount per year on the open market, especially after Halapoulivaati Vaitai and George Fant, who were both backups last season, each signed deals around $10 million annually.

If the Seahawks weren’t willing to pay Ifedi $10 million last offseason, they are even less likely to do so now, after they added a potential replacement in the form of former Jets tackle Brandon Shell.

Shell’s recent grades on Pro Football Focus are similar to Ifedi’s, and he commits penalties roughly half as frequently. Considering his modest $5.5 million per year contract, Shell is a comparable talent at half the cost – so it’s easy to see why Seattle would bring him into the mix.

Seattle also added center/guard B.J. Finney and tackle/tight end Cedric Ogbuehi. Finney could challenge for the starting left guard spot, potentially pushing Jamarco Jones back out to tackle, while Ogbuehi expects to fill the Fant role as a backup tackle and occasional sixth lineman/tight end.

All this points to a future offensive line without Ifedi in the fold, as the former first round pick will likely have to try to find a starting job elsewhere for the first time in his NFL career.

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What Monday’s O-Line contracts could mean for Germain Ifedi

The Seattle Seahawks will likely have to pay over $10 million per year to re-sign right tackle Germain Ifedi after yesterday’s signings.

The Seattle Seahawks brought back defensive tackle Jarran Reed on the first day of legal tampering, but did not signing anyone new – par for the course for this team in the Pete Carroll/John Schneider era.

They did have to say goodbye to hybrid tackle/tight end George Fant, who agreed to a three-year, $27.3 million dollar contract to start at left tackle for the Jets.

Fant was not the only offensive lineman to agree to a lucrative new contract on Monday, with tackle Jack Conklin agreeing to a three-year, $42 million dollar deal with the Browns and Halapoulivaati Vaitai leaving the Eagles for a five-year, $50 million dollar deal with the Lions.

Those deals not only take two potential Seahawks off the market, they also have a big impact on the contract demands for Seattle’s most recent starter at right tackle, Germain Ifedi.

Ifedi is expected to explore the open market after the Seahawks refused to pick up his fifth-year option, which would have paid him $10.35 million dollars for the 2020 season.

Now, with backups like Fant and Vaitai each getting about $10 million per year, it’s almost a guarantee that Ifedi will want more than that per season.

Whether he gets that remains to be seen. After all, while he has much more experience than both Fant and Vaitai, his performance has not been all that great, and other teams may be hesitant to offer him that much money, even if he is still just 25-years-old.

The Seahawks need to find more tackles before the 2020 season begins, and Ifedi is absolutely still an option to return to the Emerald City.

However, the team would likely have to pay him more than they would have had they just tendered him the fifth-year option, and it’s hard to imagine them doing that for a player who still struggles in pass protection.

The draft is also a strong option for this team to find their next right tackle, if they don’t find any options in free agency that they like, so this team may take their time to find their solution on the right side of the line.

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Seattle Seahawks 2020 free agent profile: Right tackle Germain Ifedi

Will the Seattle Seahawks finally move on from Germain Ifedi at right tackle during free agency or will he be back in 2020?

The Seattle Seahawks are heading into the 2020 offseason with 19 players set to become unrestricted free agents, which should make for another busy spring and summer for Pete Carroll and John Schneider as they look to shore up the roster and contend for the number one seed in the NFC next year.

Prior to last season, the Seahawks declined to pick up the fifth-year option on right tackle Germain Ifedi, allowing him to test free agency this year instead of re-signing him for roughly $10 million in 2020.

That lays out a rough framework of where the Seahawks value Ifedi, one of the most polarizing players on the team the past few years.

However, there is a league-wide dearth of talent at offensive tackle, and it doesn’t seem outrageous to expect another team to offer Ifedi a contract in the $10 million range annually, especially after he showed improvement across the board in 2019.

Seattle could still look to bring him back as well, with limited options to replace him now that Jamarco Jones has transitioned to guard and George Fant is set to hit free agency.

Ifedi isn’t very many fans’ favorite player, but there’s a decent chance he’s back in the blue and green in 2020.

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