Vikings Decline Mike Hughes’ Option
Fifth-year option decisions continue to trickle in, and we’ve got another decline to pass along. The Vikings have elected not to pick up the option on cornerback Mike Hughes‘ contract, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
This one isn’t surprising and had more or less been the expectation, since Hughes would’ve been due a guaranteed $12.643MM in 2022 under it. Given his injury history, there’s no way the Vikings were going to pay that. The 30th overall pick of the 2018 draft tore an ACL a little over a month into his rookie season.
Then he missed a couple of games in 2019 with a neck injury. In 2020 more neck issues limited him to only four games before landing on injured reserve for the rest of the season. Through three pro campaigns he’s appeared in only 24 games, making seven starts.
In those games he’s recorded 80 tackles, three forced fumbles, 13 passes defended, and two interceptions. Hughes’ role was going to be uncertain this year anyway after the team added corners Patrick Peterson and Mackensie Alexander in free agency. The UCF product will now hit free agency after this season. He’ll turn 25 next February.
Bears To Release Charles Leno
The Bears are cutting a staple of their offensive line for nearly the past decade. Chicago will be releasing veteran left tackle Charles Leno, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
No matter what Bears fans think of Leno, he far out-performed his draft status. A seventh-round pick back in 2014, he got his first start as a rookie and became the full-time starter at left tackle in 2015. He’s been durable, starting all 16 games in each of the past five seasons for Chicago.
In a follow-up tweet Rapoport describes the cut as a purely financial decision, one which will save the Bears $9MM in cap space when they make it a post-June 1 release. Leno certainly never was a star and caught a lot of flak the past couple yeas in Chicago, but he did make the Pro Bowl in 2018.
The Bears traded up to draft Oklahoma State’s Tevin Jenkins in the second-round this weekend, and Rapoport says they plan to plug him into the left side of the offensive line immediately. The 39th overall pick will be tasked with protecting the blindsides of Justin Fields and/or Andy Dalton as a rookie.
Leno had signed a four-year, $38MM extension with the Bears in 2017. He’ll now hit free agency at 29 and could become an intriguing option for teams like the Colts, who mostly decided to punt on offensive tackle during the draft. Indy currently only has Sam Tevi set to replace Anthony Castonzo, and Colts owner Jim Irsay recently hinted they could explore other veteran options.
Cowboys Decline Leighton Vander Esch’s Option
Another big name player is getting his option turned down. The Cowboys have informed Leighton Vander Esch‘s agent that they won’t be picking up the fifth-year option on the linebacker, Jane Slater of NFL Network tweets.
That means Vander Esch is now set to be a free agent after this season. What it doesn’t mean however is that the Cowboys no longer view the Boise State product in their future plans. Instead, Slater writes that the decision was “due to ongoing salary-cap uncertainty” and that the Cowboys “instead hope to sign Leighton to a contract extension before his current deal expires.”
Picking up the option would’ve fully guaranteed LVE $9.145MM for 2022, a steep price considering he’s missed 13 games due to injury the past two seasons. Dallas drafting Micah Parsons in the first-round this past week provided the writing on the wall for this decision, even if the team insists they still want to keep Vander Esch around.
Vander Esch was the 19th overall pick of the 2018 draft. He made the Pro Bowl and was a second-team All-Pro as a rookie, but his last two seasons have been disappointing.
As a rookie, he had 140 tackles, seven passes defended, and two interceptions. In 2020 he had only 60 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, and no passes defended in 10 games. He only turned 25 in February, and will have the chance to secure an even bigger payday if he can have a strong 2021 campaign.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/3/21
Today’s minor moves:
Indianapolis Colts
- Released: RB Paul Perkins
New York Jets
- Released: DL John Daka
Washington Football Team
- Released: WR Trevor Davis, WR Jeff Badet
Falcons Pick Up Calvin Ridley’s Option
The Falcons have exercised Calvin Ridley’s fifth-year option for the 2022 season, per a club announcement. The wide receiver is now set to earn $11.116MM in his additional year. 
Atlanta said no to Hayden Hurst‘s 2022 option, but Ridley was an easy choice. Last year, Ridley set new career watermarks with 90 grabs for 1,374 yards. The former No. 26 overall pick also found pay dirt nine times. In an otherwise trying year for the Falcons, Ridley was a bright spot. All in all, he’s got 217 catches, 3,061 yards, and 26 touchdowns to his credit.
Now, Ridley could be in line for an even larger role, depending on what the Falcons do with longtime star Julio Jones. As they work their way through a tough cap situation, new GM Terry Fontenot says that he’ll “have to listen” to trade inquiries.
Steelers Decline Terrell Edmunds’ Option
On Monday morning, the Bills picked up Tremaine Edmunds‘ fifth-year option. However, the Steelers won’t do the same for his older bro. Pittsburgh has declined the fifth-year option for safety Terrell Edmunds (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). 
Edmunds’ fifth-year would have cost a fully-guaranteed $6.753MM. Apparently, that was too steep for the Steelers, even though Edmunds has been improving with each year. All in all, he’s suited up in 47 games for the Steelers with 43 starts. Last year, he finished with two interceptions, eight passes defensed, and one sack.
Edmunds is now the third Steeler to have his extra year turned down, following older first-rounders Jarvis Jones and Artie Burns. Meanwhile, they’ve already exercised Minkah Fitzpatrick’s option, locking him in for $10.6MM in 2022.
Seahawks Decline Rashaad Penny’s Option
The Seahawks will decline Rashaad Penny‘s fifth-year option (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). This was the expected move as the running back was limited to just three games in 2020.
Penny, the No. 27 overall pick in 2018, finished last year with just eleven carries for 34 yards. He spent much of the year on IR and, in the two previous years, he didn’t do much to justify his draft status. Exercising Penny’s option would have meant a $4.523MM salary in 2022. Furthermore, that sum would have been fully guaranteed, per the league’s new rules for the fifth-year option for first-round picks.
While on the field, Penny has at least looked the part of a decent backup. In his first two seasons, Penny took 150 carries for 789 yards (5.3 yards per attempt) and five touchdowns. He also added 17 receptions for 158 yards and one score. Now, he’ll look to reassert himself alongside Chris Carson, Travis Homer, and DeeJay Dallas.
Bills Pick Up Options For Josh Allen, Tremaine Edmunds
No surprise here. The Bills have picked up the fifth-year options on quarterback Josh Allen and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, per a club announcement. 
Allen, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2018 draft, is now set to make $23.106MM in 2022. Edmunds, the No. 16 choice in the same class, will earn a salary of $12.716MM. The Bills didn’t have to stress over either decision, though negotiating Allen’s next deal may be a bit trickier.
“Josh and I have spoken,” Beane said recently. “We’d love to get Josh extended, but it has to be a number that works for him and us. We’re all on same page. Josh wants to be here. That gives me hope we’ll get something done at some point. Can’t guarantee it’ll be this year.”
Clearly, there’s mutual interest in a longer arrangement, but Allen has serious leverage. His breakout 2020 saw 13 wins for the Bills, transforming him into an MVP candidate. Allen finished the year with a 69.2-percent completion rate, 4,544 yards, 30 touchdowns, and ten interception. And, for good measure, he added another 421 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. Thanks in large part to Allen, the Bills reached the AFC Championship Game, their first appearance since 1993.
Falcons To Decline Hayden Hurst’s Option
The Falcons will not exercise the fifth-year option on tight end Hayden Hurst (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler). Hurst, a 2018 draft pick of the Ravens, is now on track for free agency in 2022. 
The Falcons traded for Hurst last spring just after Austin Hooper left in free agency. In exchange, the Falcons sent second and fifth round picks to Baltimore while receiving a fourth-round pick along with Hurst.
Hurst immediately took a backseat to Mark Andrews — a third-rounder — in 2018. He missed the early part of his rookie season with a stress fracture in his foot and the injury nagged him even after his return. Hurst ended up catching only 13 passes for 163 yards that year. In 2019, he fared a bit better — 30 catches for 349 yards and two touchdowns.
This past year, the South Carolina product had the best statistical season of his career with 56 grabs for 571 yards and six scores, However, the Falcons are now set to install Kyle Pitts as their top TE, making Hurst expendable.
Had they picked up his option, Hurst would have made $5.428MM in 2022.
Titans Decline Rashaan Evans’ Option
The Titans have turned down Rashaan Evans‘ fifth-year option, according to agent Drew Rosenhaus (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The linebacker would have cost the team $9.735MM in 2022.
According to Rosenhaus, the Titans still want to discuss an extension with Evans between now and when his contract expires next year. Evans, the 22nd overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft, has started all 16 games for the Titans across the last two seasons. However, his 2019 effort was much stronger than last year.
The Titans tapped Georgia’s Monty Rice on Friday, giving them a younger and cheaper alternative to Evans. They also have 2019 sixth-round pick David Long in the mix, giving them a few inside linebacker options to pair with Jayon Brown.
In 2019, Evans notched 111 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and a fumble return for a touchdown. Last season, he recorded 96 tackles, good for third on the team.