Just one minor move on the transaction wire today:
Seattle Seahawks
- Placed on IR: RB Rashaad Penny (story)
Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny is done for the season, but he did get some good news following an MRI. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter), the ankle was shown to be “relatively clean,” with “no deltoid or associated issues.”
Penny underwent “tight-rope” surgery earlier this week, requiring his fibula to be plated in order to stabilize the ankle. The running back will ultimately need four months to recover, meaning he’ll have plenty of time to get healthy for next season.
Of course, it remains to be seen if Penny will be playing in Seattle next season, as the running back is set to hit free agency. The former first-round pick has spent his entire five-year career in Seattle, including a 2021 campaign where he collected a career-high 797 yards from scrimmage.
More injury notes from around the NFL…
- We previously heard that Jets offensive tackle Duane Brown was opting for rehab instead of surgery while he nursed his injured shoulder. Rapoport tweets that Brown is actually playing through a torn rotator cuff. The veteran landed on injured reserve right before Week 1 after suffering a shoulder injury in practice, and he made his debut with the Jets this past weekend.
- Micah Hyde is eyeing a significant recovery timeline. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter), the Bills All-Pro safety could take anywhere from six to nine months to return to the field. Hyde recently underwent successful surgery to repair a herniated disc in his neck, and he’s already been ruled out for the season.
- 49ers defensive end Jordan Willis is still “a few weeks” away from returning, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic. Willis landed on injured reserve last month with a knee injury. The veteran saw time in 10 games last season for San Francisco, collecting 15 tackles and three sacks.
- Saints wide receiver Deonte Harty suffered a turf toe injury on Sunday, according to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football on Twitter. Harty will certainly miss some time, and there’s fear that the injury could be “significant.” Indeed, Rapoport tweets that Harty will get a second opinion, but if nothing changes, he’ll likely miss a few months. After collecting 36 receptions in 2021, Harty only has a pair of catches in four games this season. He’s also returned six kickoffs and three punts.
- Chiefs defensive lineman Tershawn Wharton tore his ACL on Monday night, ending his season. The former undrafted free agent hasn’t missed a game for Kansas City since joining the organization in 2020. In five games this season, Wharton collected eight tackles and one sack.
OCTOBER 10: Carroll confirmed on Monday that Penny suffered a fractured fibula, along with a tibia injury and high ankle sprain (Twitter link via ESPN’s Brady Henderson). As a result, the team’s top running back will, as feared, miss the remainder of the campaign.
OCTOBER 9: The Seahawks lost this afternoon’s wild game against the Saints, but they also exited the contest without one of their top contributors on offense. Running back Rashaad Penny was carted off the field, and will likely be out for a lengthy duration, if not the remainder of the season. 
When speaking to the media, head coach Pete Carroll said that Penny has a “serious” ankle injury which will keep him sidelined for a while. Providing a different update with respect to diagnosis, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets that Penny actually suffered a fractured tibia. In any event, the 26-year-old will undergo testing tomorrow to determine if surgery will be required. Rapoport adds that that will likely be the case, marking another injury blow to Penny’s career.
The former first-rounder suffered a torn ACL in 2020, then dealt with persistent hamstring issues last season. He has yet to play a full season in the NFL, but has flashed plenty of potential when on the field. Last season, he was able to log a career-high 119 carries, and led the league with an average of 6.3 yards per carry. That earned him an extended stay in the Emerald City.
The Seahawks declined Penny’s fifth-year option amidst the numerous injuries he has faced. However, his production upon his return last season earned him a one-year, $5.75MM deal this offseason. With the retirement of Chris Carson, Penny was operating as the team’s No. 1 back this season. Entering Sunday’s contest, he had remained highly efficient, totaling 292 yards on 49 carries (6.0 yards per carry), along with a pair of touchdowns.
In his absence, Seattle will move forward with the trio of Travis Homer, DeeJay Dallas and Kenneth Walker. The latter, a second-round rookie, had his most productive game of the season to date, with 88 yards and one touchdown on eight carries. He will likely take on lead back duties for the foreseeable future, as the team looks for continuity in the running game. Penny, meanwhile, will turn his attention to recovery as heads towards free agency.
Here are the details from the latest agreed-upon contracts around the league:
- Younghoe Koo, K (Falcons): Five years, $24.25MM. Koo received a $6.25MM signing bonus and will earn a fully guaranteed $1.75MM 2022 base salary, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com tweets. The final three years of Koo’s deal are nonguaranteed; none of Koo’s cap hits exceed $6MM.
- Jordan Whitehead, S (Jets): Two years, $14.5MM. The Jets fully guaranteed Whitehead $7MM and, according to OverTheCap.com, the veteran safety’s cap hits will be $4.2MM and $10.2MM.
- Austin Johnson, DL (Chargers): Two years, $14MM. Initially reported as having a max value of $14MM, Johnson’s deal carries a base value of that amount. It comes with $10.6MM guaranteed, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan tweets.
- Dorance Armstrong, DE (Cowboys): Two years, $12MM. The Cowboys fully guaranteed Armstrong $6MM, and Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News tweets his 2022 cap figure checks in at $3.38MM. The deal also features a $1MM sack incentive.
- Quinton Jefferson, DL (Seahawks): Two years, $9.5MM. The Seahawks guaranteed Jefferson $5.2MM to return. This includes a $1.2MM 2022 base salary, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com tweets.
- J.D. McKissic, RB (Commanders): Two years, $7MM. Enticing him to renege on a Bills agreement, the Commanders guaranteed McKissic $3.6MM. The deal includes $1.5MM in performance incentives for receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets.
- Jeff Gladney, CB (Cardinals): Two years, $6.5MM. The former first-round pick will receive $4MM guaranteed, SI.com’s Howard Balzer tweets. In addition to his $2MM signing bonus, the Cards guaranteed Gladney’s 2022 base salary ($1.5MM) and $500K of his 2023 base ($2.5MM). Gladney will count just $2.5MM against Arizona’s cap this year.
- Rashaad Penny, RB (Seahawks): One year, $5.75MM. To keep Penny, the Seahawks guaranteed him $5.07MM. Penny will carry a $5.51MM cap number, Henderson tweets. Incentives for rushing yards, receiving yards and touchdowns could take the deal to $6.5MM.
Before the Bills swooped in with an awe-inspiring contract, the Rams expected to re-sign Von Miller. According to Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic, the Rams were flexible with the AAV of Miller’s deal and were generally offering around $14MM to $16MM per season.
The Rams “reiterated their commitment” to the linebacker during negotiations, while Miller made it a priority to work things out with the Super Bowl-winning organization. Of course, the money had to be right, but Rodrigue writes that the Rams were confident in their offer. However, the Bills emerged with a big-money offer that was ultimately too good to refuse.
Rodrigue also notes that Miller’s departure will ultimately net the organization a compensation pick, but because of the player’s tenure in the NFL, the organization can’t expect higher than a fifth-round selection.
More notes out of the NFC West…
- Rashaad Penny told the media that it was a “no brainer” to re-sign with the Seahawks (per Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times on Twitter). The running back also confirmed that he turned down offers for more money in order to stay in Seattle. The former first-round pick inked a one-year, $5.75MM deal to stick with the Seahawks. This past season, Penny totaled 797 scrimmage yards and six touchdowns.
- Pete Carroll seems to have some optimism for quarterback Drew Lock, telling reporters that the Seahawks are “focused on the things Drew Lock did well in Denver and not the times he struggled,” with the coach adding that “we think we see something that could be really special” (per Condotta on Twitter).
- While the organization isn’t necessarily counting on Lock, the organization has high hopes for the QB. “We’ll continue to explore options,” said GM John Schneider (via ESPN’s Brady Henderson), “but we have a ton of faith in Drew. We’re excited about it. We’re excited about a change of scenery for him. I know a couple of my buddies were trying to acquire him all last spring and into the fall. He’s a guy that, in my opinion, the media has beat down a little bit. We’re excited to get him into our culture with our coaching staff, and we’ll continue to look for guys to compete with him.”
- Jimmy Garoppolo‘s shoulder surgery earlier this month went “as expected,” according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). With the shoulder surgery taking place in early March, the 49ers are hoping the QB will be back on the field before training camp. Of course, the only question remaining is whether Garoppolo will be attending training camp with the 49ers or another team.
After a late-season surge, running back Rashaad Penny has earned himself a pay raise on his second NFL contract. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports (on Twitter) that the team is re-signing him to a one-year, $5.75MM pact. Rapoport adds that the maximum value of the deal is $6.5MM. 
Penny, a first round pick in 2018, put up underwhelming numbers in the first three seasons of his NFL career. He had received only 150 carries in his first two campaigns, totalling 789 rushing yards. In 2020, he was limited to just three contests. After a slow start this past season, though, things changed dramatically for him.
The 26-year-old had single-digit carries in each of his first four games in 2021. That total saw a notable uptick throughout the remainder of the campaign, however, as he gradually took over as Seattle’s lead back. Overall, he registered four games of over 135 rushing yards, including three straight to close out the year. Along the way, he set new career highs in snaps played (253) and carries (119).
On the season, Penny totalled 797 scrimmage yards and six touchdowns. Most notably, his resurgence led him to average 6.3 yards per carry, which topped the NFL. His performance turned around the reputation he had previously established as a disappointing investment with regards to his draft status, while offering reason for optimism in what was otherwise a lost season in Seattle.
In addition to Penny, the Seahawks also have Chris Carson under contract for one more season. His presence makes it noteworthy that Rapoport states Penny “turned down more money elsewhere” to remain in the only NFL home he’s known so far. Seattle also has 2020 fourth rounder DeeJay Dallas in its RB room. With Penny being brought back, they will be able to carry over the same depth chart at the position as they had last year.
In addition to his role on numerous fantasy championship teams, Rashaad Penny is very much in his actual team’s plans. The former first-round pick’s late-season surge has him on the Seahawks’ long-term radar.
The Seahawks are interested in re-signing Penny, and Pete Carroll said the four-year veteran would also like to stay in Seattle, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Penny’s career trajectory would make these extension talks a bit unusual, but he delivered top-shelf work for the Seahawks down the stretch. That finish puts Penny on the radar to be Seattle’s back of the future — the team’s hope when it made him a surprise Round 1 choice four years ago — especially with Chris Carson coming off neck surgery.
Although Penny missed more time due to injury, he returned to start the Seahawks’ final five games. The San Diego State product’s 7.3-yard average in that span gave him an NFL-leading 6.3 for the season (albeit on just 119 carries) and 749 rushing yards. The 119 carries, however, were a career-high total. Penny was never able to supplant Carson when both were healthy and missed most of the 2020 season after an ACL tear late in the 2019 slate. Penny dealt with calf and hamstring injuries in 2021.
Penny, 26, has missed 31 career games, counting three playoff contests. There still figures to be a “prove it” component to his next contract. The Seahawks did not pick up his fifth-year option in 2020. Penny joins the likes of James Conner, Melvin Gordon, Leonard Fournette, Sony Michel, Marlon Mack and Raheem Mostert as a back on track for free agency.
The Seahawks kept Carson on a two-year, $10.4MM deal last March, but the veteran starter suffered a significant neck injury that limited him to four games. Carson, 27, underwent neck surgery late last year. Due to the void year the Seahawks tacked onto his deal, it would cost the team $3MM-plus in dead money to release the five-year starter.
More bad news for Rashaad Penny. Thanks to his latest hamstring flare-up, the Seahawks running back will be held out of tomorrow night’s game against Washington (Twitter link via Adam Jude of the Seattle Times). Beyond that, head coach Pete Carroll says that the injury could result in him reverting to IR, which would rule him out for the rest of the year.
Penny’s hammy and calf issues have limited him to just four games this year. All in all, he has just 17 carries for 43 yards and one score on the year. He also sat out the majority of the 2020 campaign while recovering from a torn ACL.
On top of that, Travis Homer has been ruled out for this week with a calf injury. The Seahawks — already without Chris Carson thanks to a season-ending neck injury, are down to just Alex Collins, DeeJay Dallas, and newcomer B.J. Emmons. Practice squader Josh Johnson could be elevated for additional support, but the Seahawks may need to consider other options in the long-term.
For Penny, it’s yet another setback in what was shaping up to be a promising career. Through his first two seasons in the NFL, Penny notched 947 all-purpose yards and six touchdowns. And, in 2019, he managed a 5.7 yards per carry average, albeit in a limited sample size of 65 totes.
The Seahawks have already declined Penny’s fifth-year option, so he’s on course for free agency in the spring.
Rashaad Penny is officially back. The Seahawks activated the running back from injured reserve ahead of tonight’s game against the Saints, reports Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus (via Twitter).
A hamstring injury limited Penny to only one game this season, but he should have an opportunity to contribute on Monday night. With Chris Carson sidelined, Penny will join a running back grouping that includes Alex Collins, DeeJay Dallas, and Travis Homer. Collins is expected to lead the depth chart, but Penny should get some action in what’s expected to be a rain-soaked game.
Penny has dealt with his fair share of injuries since he was selected in the first round of the 2018 draft. The running back has been limited to only 28 games through four seasons, and he sat out the majority of the 2020 campaign while recovering from a torn ACL. Through his first two seasons in the NFL, Penny collected 947 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns on 167 touches.
Prior to the season, the Seahawks declined the 25-year-old fifth-year option, meaning he’ll be a free agent following the 2021 campaign.
6:07pm: The Seahawks are following through with the Carson shutdown plan. They officially placed Wilson and Carson on IR later Friday afternoon. Neither player can return before Week 10.
4:23pm: In addition to their preparations to place Russell Wilson on injured reserve, the Seahawks are considering shutting down their other backfield starter.
They have ruled Chris Carson out for a second straight week due to a neck injury, and Pete Carroll said an IR stay is in play for the fifth-year running back, via the Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta (on Twitter). Sunday night will be Carson’s second consecutive absence. An IR move would sideline him until Week 10, when the Seahawks return from their bye week.
Carson has been Seattle’s starting back since 2018. Although the team drafted Rashaad Penny with an eye on him one day taking over, the 2018 first-round pick has battled far more substantial injury trouble over the course of his career. Carson has run into extensive injury trouble as well, though he has been able to stay on the field en route to securing a two-year, $10.4MM deal this offseason.
The former seventh-round pick missed most of his rookie year with a broken leg, missed the end of the 2019 season with an arm injury and was down for four games in 2020 with a foot issue. Carson did not practice this week.
Carroll did say Penny should be expected to return from IR next week. A calf injury sustained in Week 1 led Penny back to IR. The contract-year back has played in just four games since an ACL tear ended his 2019 season. Alex Collins is set to lead the Seahawks’ running back troops against the Steelers. This is Collins’ second Seattle stint. The team brought him back in November 2020, and injuries to Carson and Penny have moved the former fifth-round Seahawks draftee into a key role.