Giants Pick Up LT Andrew Thomas’ Fifth-Year Option
The Giants had one of the easier decisions to make with respect to today’s deadline on fifth-year options. As expected, they have exercised the option on left tackle Andrew Thomas, per a team announcement. 
The 24-year old will now be on the books for at least the next two seasons, with a 2024 cap hit of $14.175MM. That figure is lowered by the fact that Thomas has yet to earn a Pro Bowl nod, but all-star appearances could be in his future considering his career ascent. His level of play in 2022 has put him squarely on the radar for a long-term deal.
Such a move could come later this offseason, a reflection of how the Georgia alum is viewed by the Giants’ front office. Thomas has taken a considerable step forward in terms of PFF evaluation in each of his three seasons, developing from a player who appeared to have been a reach at No. 4 overall to one of the game’s best pass protectors. He earned a stellar overall grade of 90.3 in 2022, ranking him third amongst qualifying tackles.
The 2020 first-round class has seen a mixed bag of results with options being picked up or declined, including along the offensive line. Thomas has proven to be a worthwhile investment for the Giants, a team which has both he and quarterback Daniel Jones in place for multiple seasons (along with another foundational piece, running back Saquon Barkley, in the fold for at least the 2023 campaign on the franchise tag).
A long-term Thomas accord will be worth far more than the price of the option next year, with Laremy Tunsil‘s latest Texans deal (three years, $75MM) considered by many to be the floor for any agreement. At a minimum, Thomas can be expected to become only the fourth blindside blocker in the league to reach the $20MM-per-year mark. If negotiations stall out this summer, the Giants will have an extended period to get a contract worked out with the anchor of their offensive front down the road.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/1/23
Here are Monday’s minor moves:
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: P Joseph Charlton
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Waived: S Tyree Gillespie, OL Jimmy Murray
Las Vegas Raiders
- Waived: S Jalen Elliott, T Sebastian Gutierrez
Charlton, who spent training camp with the Browns last year, has not seen game action since the 2021 season. The South Carolina alum spent the 2020 season as the Panthers’ full-time punter. The Browns signed ex-Colt Corey Bojorquez to be their punter earlier this offseason.
Gillespie signed a reserve/futures deal with the Jaguars in January. The young defensive back landed in Jacksonville after the Titans waived him last summer. Tennessee had previously acquired Gillespie from the Raiders via trade. The former fourth-round Raiders pick played in three Jags games last season.
Packers Sign 12 UDFAs
With the draft in the rearview mirror, teams’ undrafted free agent contingents are surfacing. The Packers announced theirs, a 12-man class. Here is how that group stacks up:
- LB Keshawn Banks (San Diego State)
- LB Brenton Cox Jr. (Florida)
- G Chuck Filiaga (Minnesota)
- WR Malik Heath (Ole Miss)
- DL Jason Lewan (Illinois State)
- TE Camren McDonald (Florida State)
- S Christian Morgan (Baylor)
- FB Henry Pearson (Appalachian State)
- LB Jimmy Phillips Jr. (SMU)
- S Benny Sapp III (Northern Iowa)
- T Kadeem Telfort (UAB)
- WR Duece Watts (Tulane)
As was the case last year, 2023 UDFA groups will come in older than the ones in the 2010s. The NCAA’s extraordinary rule change granting players whose careers were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic an additional season of eligibility continues to impact college rosters and the NFL. While players atop the draft are mostly unaffected, late-rounders and the UDFA tier will produce plenty of mid-20-somethings.
Benny Sapp III is the son of former Chiefs, Vikings and Dolphins defensive back Benny Sapp Jr. The Division I-FCS product participated in 19 games in 2021, with the pandemic moving FCS and Division II to the spring, and finished his 2022 senior season as an All-American. A Minnesota transfer, Sapp intercepted four passes and forced two fumbles last season. Filiaga spent five seasons at Michigan before joining the Golden Gophers; he worked as Minnesota’s full-time right guard last season.
Heath also made an intraconference transfer, changing Egg Bowl sides by moving from Mississippi State to Ole Miss. The 6-foot-2, 213-pound wideout produced his best season with the Rebels, catching 60 passes for 971 yards and five touchdowns. Watts joins Heath in following a three-wideout Packers draft class. Watts caught eight touchdown passes for the Green Wave last season, averaging 19.9 yards per catch. Pearson
A Florida transfer, Telfort earned first-team All-Conference USA acclaim as the Blazers’ left tackle. Telfort blocked for UAB running back DeWayne McBride; a Vikings fifth-round pick, McBride led Division I-FBS in rushing yards per game last season. Cox totaled eight sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss for the Gators in 2021 but saw his 2022 season come to an end early due to a dismissal from the team.
Seahawks To Pass On LB Jordyn Brooks’ Fifth-Year Option
Shortly after the Cardinals declined Isaiah Simmons‘ fifth-year option, one of their NFC West rivals will do the same with their 2020 linebacker investment. The Seahawks are not exercising Jordyn Brooks‘ option, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
Brooks has been an every-down player for the Seahawks over the past two seasons, but the former first-rounder is coming off a late-season ACL tear. While the 25-year-old defender is set to team with Bobby Wagner again in 2023, neither is signed beyond this season.
[RELATED: 2024 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker]
This option choice involved the same cost as the Cardinals’ Simmons call; because Brooks is a Seahawks starter without a Pro Bowl honor, he landed on the third tier of the option structure. Brooks would have been entitled to a fully guaranteed 2024 salary of $12.72MM. The Seahawks have never picked up a fifth-year option on a player they drafted. Only Noah Fant, obtained in last year’s Russell Wilson trade with the Broncos, saw his option exercised by the NFC West team.
To be fair, the Seahawks have traded first-round picks or traded down in drafts. Those moves reduced the number of Seattle fifth-year option decisions. That said, the team has now declined six fifth-year options (Brooks, L.J. Collier, Rashaad Penny, Germain Ifedi, Bruce Irvin, James Carpenter) since the 2011 CBA introduced this clause. While the Carpenter, Irvin and Ifedi options were guaranteed for injury only, the Seahawks still began the option era by keeping their first-rounders on four-year deals. Brooks does not join Collier and Penny as a first-round misstep, however, and can potentially earn a long-term deal with a bounce-back season in 2023.
The Seahawks kept Brooks as their linebacker third wheel as a rookie, as they still rostered K.J. Wright at that point. After letting Wright walk in free agency a year later, Brooks became a full-timer. He led the league with 109 solo tackles that season, totaling 184 overall and 10 for loss, and did not miss a game. Brooks played 16 games last season, finished with a worse Pro Football Focus placement (68th) among linebackers but suffered the ACL tear at a bad time. He will spend this offseason rehabbing and should not be considered a lock to start the season on time. The Seahawks have nearly four months to determine whether Brooks will begin his season on the reserve/PUP list, which would sideline him for at least four games.
Joining Collier and Penny in being a surprising first-round pick, Brooks should still have a path back to Seattle for 2024 and beyond. Cody Barton defected to the Commanders in free agency, and in addition to Wagner, UFA addition Devin Bush is on a one-year deal. Despite being armed with two more picks from the Wilson trade and picking up more from the Broncos to facilitate their Riley Moss trade-up, the Seahawks did not draft an off-ball linebacker this year.
Cardinals To Decline LB Isaiah Simmons’ Fifth-Year Option
One of a few first-round linebacker picks Steve Keim made during his run as Cardinals GM, Isaiah Simmons will now head into a contract year. The Cardinals are not exercising Simmons’ fifth-year option, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).
Simmons is likely to remain a starter in Jonathan Gannon‘s system, despite the Cards bringing over ex-Gannon Eagles charge Kyzir White in free agency. But Arizona’s new regime will not give Simmons an eight-figure guarantee for 2024 just yet.
Meeting the participation requirements to land on the option structure’s third tier, Simmons came with a $12.72MM 2024 guarantee. The Cardinals are giving the keys to Gannon and new DC Nick Rallis, and the Vance Joseph-era cog will be given an opportunity to prove himself in the new scheme. With the Cardinals regrouping after a wildly disappointing season and an offseason that brought sweeping changes both on the roster and in the front office, it is unsurprising to see the team punt on this option call.
A coveted prospect out of Clemson, Simmons went eighth overall to the Cardinals in 2020. The college national champion carried a hybrid skillset coming into the league but initially struggled to find a fit with the Cards. The team ended up taking advantage of Simmons’ versatility. Displaying his athletic gifts, the nominal linebacker worked as a slot cornerback on 409 defensive plays last season. Simmons also played 297 snaps in the box, 110 on the defensive line and saw a bit of work as a boundary corner and as a safety. He will be an interesting chess piece for Gannon and Rallis.
Simmons’ versatility led to a 99-tackle, four-sack, two-interception, two-forced-fumble season; he returned one of those picks for a touchdown — a 56-yard score in an October matchup with the Saints. Simmons finished with 105 tackles and four forced fumbles in 2021, providing considerable value during a season in which the Cardinals snapped a lengthy playoff drought and ranked in the top 10 in defensive DVOA. The Cards briefly minimized Simmons’ role last season but quickly restored it, though he will start over with a new staff this year.
The Cards used first-round picks on Simmons and Zaven Collins at linebacker over the past four years. Keim did so after drafting hybrid player Deone Bucannon in the 2014 first round and Haason Reddick, whom the team converted to an off-ball linebacker, in 2017. The Cardinals lost three of their top defenders this offseason, seeing J.J. Watt retire and Byron Murphy and Zach Allen leave in free agency. Murphy followed Joseph to Denver. Simmons could become a cornerstone player under Monti Ossenfort‘s GM regime, but the team will make him prove it.
Simmons would represent an interesting franchise tag case, given his usage across the formation, but if he is classified as a linebacker next year, a tag would be untenable. All linebackers are grouped together under the tag formula, a scenario that helped lead Roquan Smith out of Chicago. Simmons now becomes one of the league’s more interesting contract-year players.
Jaguars Decline K’Lavon Chaisson’s Fifth-Year Option
K’Lavon Chaisson has been unable to justify his draft slot with the Jaguars. Unsurprisingly, the Jags will make 2023 a contract year for the former first-round pick.
Jacksonville is passing on Chaisson’s fifth-year option, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Because of his declining participation rate, the edge rusher’s option checked in on the bottom tier of the option structure; for defensive ends, that number is $12.14MM. Given Chaisson’s fit in Mike Caldwell‘s defense, that is still a lofty number.
[RELATED: 2024 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker]
The Jags took Chaisson 20th overall in 2020, selecting him 11 spots after C.J. Henderson. Although Henderson’s option became the Panthers’ responsibility, the Jags did not fare well with their two first-round picks — the latter of which obtained in the Jalen Ramsey trade — in 2020. (The Panthers declined Henderson’s fifth-year option Monday.) The Jags took Chaisson despite having selected Josh Allen in the 2019 first round. They have since chosen another first-round edge, in 2022 No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker.
Chaisson, 23, has just three sacks across three seasons. After being benched in 2021, Chaisson played just 109 defensive snaps during Caldwell’s first year running the Jags’ defense. A meniscus injury sidelined Chaisson for a stretch last year, and the Jags did use one of their eight IR-return spots on the three-year veteran. Chaisson played in both Jacksonville’s playoff games, and despite the team losing Dawuane Smoot for the season in Week 16, the former first-rounder only totaled 11 defensive snaps in the postseason.
Generating roster-bubble rumors last summer, Chaisson remains part of the Jags’ edge-rushing contingent. The team has not re-signed Smoot and let Arden Key walk in free agency. The Jags also waited until the fifth round (Louisville’s Yasir Abdullah) to address the position in this year’s draft. The team has Allen and Walker as its top edge defenders, but it remains to be seen how the AFC South favorites will structure their rotational pass-rushing corps.
While Chaisson has not lived up to expectations, the Jags did land Travis Etienne with the other first-round pick from the Ramsey haul. Etienne’s fifth-year option decision is due in 2024.
Panthers Pick Up Derrick Brown’s Fifth-Year Option, Decline C.J. Henderson’s
A 2021 trade made the Panthers responsible for two fifth-year option decisions ahead of Tuesday’s deadline. The team will only pick up Derrick Brown‘s option, passing on C.J. Henderson‘s.
This was the expected call for the Panthers, who have rebuffed trade inquiries on Brown since the Matt Rhule firing opened the floodgates on that front last year. The Bears inquired about the former top-10 pick in this year’s talks about the No. 1 overall selection, but the sides ended up reaching a deal that included D.J. Moore. Brown is now under contract for two more years.
Since Brown has been a regular starter but one without a Pro Bowl on his resume, he qualifies for the third tier of the fifth-year option structure. That comes out to a manageable $11.67MM fully guaranteed salary for Brown in 2024. Even as Henderson’s playing time drops him to Tier 4 of the option hierarchy ($11.51MM for cornerbacks), the Panthers are passing. Henderson is now in a contract year.
Brown, who turned 25 last month, has continued to elevate his game. Pro Football Focus ranked the former No. 7 overall pick as the game’s seventh-best interior D-lineman last season. The advanced metrics site slotted Brown third overall among interior D-linemen against the run. The Auburn product finished last season with just one sack but batted down seven passes and totaled 17 pressures. That number ranked in the top 15 among pure interior defenders last season.
When the Panthers axed Rhule in October 2022, they fielded calls on a few players. Christian McCaffrey ended up being dealt, but the Panthers hung onto Moore, Brown and Brian Burns. The Panthers relented on Moore when other teams’ interest in the No. 1 overall pick required them to up their offer to the Bears, but Brown and Burns are extension candidates. The Panthers have Burns going into his fifth-year option season, but they have continued to plan for an extension. Brown became extension-eligible in January, but seeing as Monday’s option call locks him down through 2024, it would not be surprising if the team huddled up on a Brown deal next year.
Henderson has not delivered what the Panthers had hoped upon trading for him early during the 2021 season. The Jaguars bailed on the former No. 9 overall draftee early, with Urban Meyer signing off on the September 2021 trade. After going down with an injury midway through his rookie season, Henderson has not become a reliable starter. PFF ranked the Florida alum outside the top 100 at corner in 2021 and ’22.
The Panthers also have potential extension payments coming to Jeremy Chinn and Jaycee Horn; both of whom came up amid the post-Rhule fallout last year. Donte Jackson and Vonn Bell are tied to veteran deals. Up front, no big contracts reside on the Panthers’ payroll. But Burns will likely change that soon. By next summer, both Burns and Brown could be signed to long-term accords. But Monday’s decision bought the Panthers additional time on Brown.
Saints Decline Cesar Ruiz’s Fifth-Year Option
While not a Pro Bowler, Cesar Ruiz has been a starter for most of his Saints career. That places the fourth-year guard on the third tier of the CBA’s fifth-year option structure. As a result, the Saints are passing on Ruiz’s 2024 option, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Had New Orleans followed through with the option pickup, Ruiz would have made $14.18MM in 2024. The NFL’s franchise and transition tag formula is used to calculate options, and it still places all offensive linemen under one umbrella. With tackle contracts inflating this price annually, interior O-linemen’s fifth-year options become more onerous — seeing as the 2020 CBA made them fully guaranteed — for teams.
The Saints passing on Ruiz’s option does not mean this partnership will end after four seasons, but the Michigan alum is now set for a contract year. Ruiz will earn $2.34MM in base salary this season and is tied to a cap number just north of $4MM. The Saints are positioned rely on the former No. 24 overall pick as their right guard again in 2023.
Primarily a center with the Wolverines, Ruiz has played guard as a pro. Erik McCoy‘s center entrenchment slid Ruiz to guard as a rookie, and despite not having played the position since his freshman year of college, Ruiz has started 40 games for the Saints. Pro Football Focus has not viewed Ruiz as an upper-echelon guard in any of his three seasons, slotting him just outside the top 50 at the position from 2020-22, and the 6-foot-4 blocker is coming off an injury-shortened season. A foot injury ended Ruiz’s 2022 slate after 14 games.
Ruiz, 23, played every snap for the Saints in 2021 and logged a 100% snap rate in the 14 games before being shut down last season. The Saints have McCoy, left guard Andrus Peat and right tackle Ryan Ramczyk signed to long-term extensions. The team has continued to make big investments in its O-line, drafting left tackle Trevor Penning in last year’s first round. Assuming Penning becomes a full-time starter in his second season, he makes it five homegrown first- or second-round picks comprising New Orleans’ O-line.
With a 2024 franchise tag not realistic for Ruiz, the Saints will have a decision to make on him before next year’s legal tampering period begins in March. The team did trade up to No. 103 to start Saturday’s fourth round, selecting Old Dominion O-lineman Nick Saldiveri. While Saldiveri worked as Old Dominion’s primary right tackle in recent years, he repped as an interior blocker at the Senior Bowl.
Jaguars Sign 11 UDFAs
Jacksonville announced their class of undrafted rookie free agents on Monday. Here is a breakdown of the prospects who will compete to fill out their roster this summer:
- DT Jayson Ademilola, Notre Dame
- OLB DJ Coleman, Missouri
- WR Elijah Cooks, San Jose State
- CB Kaleb Hayes, BYU
- LB Dequan Jackson, Colorado State
- LB Matthew Jackson, Eastern Kentucky
- OL Samuel Jackson, UCF
- WR Jaray Jenkins, LSU
- WR Oliver Martin, Nebraska
- TE Leonard Taylor, Cincinnati
- CB Divaad Wilson, UCF
Jacksonville had 13 picks in this year’s draft in addition to the above names, so they will have plenty of rookies on hand to add to last year’s successful team. The group includes a number of intriguing names, though no reports have emerged yet with respect to sizeable guarantees in any of their respective contracts.
Ademilola and Coleman are heading into the NFL after very different college journeys, but they each posted notable production. The former totaled seven sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss over the past two seasons, and could find a role for himself as a rotational pass-rusher on the interior after a lengthy career with the Fighting Irish. The latter only played at Ole Miss for one season, but he recorded 4.5 sacks, 8.5 TFLs and three forced fumbles in that time, which could help earn him an extended look.
Of the three receivers signed, Cooks is the largest (6-4, 215 pounds) and most productive of the bunch in terms of 2022 statistics. After five years at Nevada, he transferred to San Jose State and had a career-year. Cooks totaled 1,076 yards on 69 receptions, and led the Mountain West Conference with 10 touchdowns. Those figures far outpaced what he had in all but one of his previous seasons, and could point to potential at the NFL level as a depth option.
Ravens To Decline LB Patrick Queen’s Fifth-Year Option
The Ravens have made one major financial commitment to a member of the linebacking corps, but a second will not be coming. Patrick Queen‘s fifth-year option will not be exercised, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic (Twitter link). 
Queen would have been due a 2024 salary of $12.72MM has the Ravens picked up the option. Instead, the 23-year-old will now enter a contract year while facing an uncertain future. Signs pointing to this decision emerged in the middle of the 2022 campaign, and continued during last weekend’s draft.
Baltimore traded for Roquan Smith at the deadline, sending the Bears a package including a second-round pick in exchange. Given that price, many assumed a long-term deal would soon follow, and it did. Smith signed a five-year, $100MM contract in January, making him the highest-paid linebacker in league history. His arrival led to a tangible uptick in Queen’s level of play down the stretch.
The latter finished the 2022 season with 117 tackles, five sacks, a pair of interceptions and six pass deflections. Those stats were reflected in a sizeable jump in PFF rating; the LSU product’s overall grade jumped to 70 last season after checking in at 43.5 the year before. Still, the Smith deal would have made it particularly difficult for the Ravens to absorb another eight-figure cap charge at the position.
Baltimore raised some eyebrows with the selection of linebacker Trenton Simpson in the third round of the draft. Queen himself reacted on social media in a way which hinted he felt the decision hurt his chances of remaining with the team beyond next season. Simpson boasts one of the more unique skillsets in this year’s class, showcasing an ability to play on the inside but also as an edge rusher and even a slot corner at times.
While he thus wouldn’t represent a direct replacement for Queen, Simpson could be viewed as a succession plan to an extent. Even before the draft, the former was mentioned as a potential trade candidate, and it will be worth monitoring if any developments on that front take place given today’s news. Even if there aren’t any, Queen’s next season in Baltimore could be his last.