The deadline for teams to exercise or decline the fifth-year options on 2020 1st round picks passed last week and some interesting decisions were certainly made. The obvious choices, like the Bengals, Chargers, and Dolphins exercising the options of Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, and Tua Tagovailoa were executed. But not every choice was obvious. In fact there were some made that were flat out surprising.
Seahawks declining Jordyn Brooks’ option
The Seattle Seahawks’ decision to reject Jordyn Brooks’ fifth-year option is based on rationality, but it still strikes as surprising. Brooks tore his ACL in Week 17 of the 2022 season, and as a result, he’s likely to miss the start of the 2023 season. He’s an off-ball linebacker, a position where big money is scarce, and the Seahawks have a sketchy history when it comes to exercising fifth-year options. In fact, they’ve done it just once since the options came into effect after the CBA – and that was with Noah Fant, a player they didn’t even draft.
It stands to reason then that this shouldn’t come as a surprise. But to many it does. Brooks has been one of the better off-ball linebackers in the NFL since 2019 and at just 25 years old, he’s going to be the future of the Seahawks defense for a while yet. Pete Carroll even said as much. Maybe that’s partly what makes this an eyebrow raiser. Brooks features in the Seahawks’ plans long-term, but he’ll be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2023 season, along with Bobby Wagner and Devin Bush.
Perhaps the injury turned what should have been a yes into a no for Seattle. Brooks might not be the same player when coming back from surgery, so locking him into a fully-guaranteed $12.722M deal in 2024 might have been something the Seahawks didn’t feel comfortable doing. But they also had the option of guaranteeing the money and then locking him into a long-term deal which could bring the cap hit down. Instead, they’re prepared to risk him walking next offseason. The reasoning behind it is understandable and probably wise, but this defense needs talent, and Brooks is surely that.
Jets declining Mekhi Becton’s option
Okay, this one is probably cheating again. It doesn’t necessarily come as a shock that the Jets have declined Mekhi Becton’s fifth-year option. The former No. 11 pick in 2020 has been oft-injured during his short NFL career and hasn’t actually featured in an NFL game since Week 1 of the 2021 season, almost two years ago now. On the surface, it makes sense.
Availability is the best ability to dabble in coach speak for a second. As talented as Becton is, he can’t stay on the field – or even get on it right now – so guaranteeing him $13.565 million in 2024 isn’t something the Jets want to be doing, especially in a wide-open Super Bowl window. But what if Becton is fully healthy? After struggling to keep his weight down in his first few seasons in the NFL, he’s reportedly lost around 50 lbs and is gunning for the left tackle position.
Naturally, he should be in line to take over once healthy, but Robert Saleh has rightly told him that he has to earn it. That isn’t so much of a surprise, but offensive tackle is a premium position, especially on a quarterback’s blind side. When you have the talent on the roster, you should do all you can to retain it. The Jets currently have Duane Brown (who will be 38 at the start of the 2023 season), Billy Turner (31), and 2022 fourth-round pick Max Mitchell currently occupying the tackle depth. There isn’t much long-term security there, and if the Jets lose Becton to unrestricted free agency after a potentially strong 2023 season it could come back to haunt them.
Commanders declining Chase Young’s option
There was always a chance the Commanders would decline Chase Young’s option. The former No. 2 overall pick was expected to hit the ground running in the NFL and did, winning Rookie of the Year while notching 42 pressures and 10 tackles for loss in 2021. Young felt like a star in the making. But things have been tough going since then.
A slow start to the 2021 season was compounded by a torn ACL midway through the year, shutting him down for the rest of the campaign. His recovery was slower than anticipated as Young’s return was continually put back until Week 16 of the 2022 season. He did manage seven pressures across the last three games of the season, per PFF, but getting back on track was more likely to happen in 2023 as opposed to last season.
At his best, Young has the chops to be one of the best edge defenders in the NFL – and he’s still only 24 years old. The Commanders know that. But the money they’ve invested on the defensive line complicated things. They re-signed Daron Payne to a four-year, $90 million contract this offseason one year after giving Jonathan Allen a four-year $72 million deal. On top of that, Montez Sweat is a free agent at the end of the 2023 NFL season and the Commanders may intend to re-sign him.
If they do, they’ll start feeling the pressures of the salary cap. Especially if they decided to exercise Young’s option, fully guaranteeing $17.452 million in 2024. Now both will be free agents at the end of the season and can likely re-sign just one of them. It’s a fascinating situation.
-Thomas Valentine
Twitter: @tvalentinesport
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