5th year option deadline for Olave/Penning is May 1st

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I say no to Olave, problem is I don't think he has much trade value either, other teams are well aware of his concussion injury.....just a sucky situation....

I think we can get Penning for less as well....
 
That's a tough one. I think the Olave issue will take care of itself soon enough. I think he's traded before or during the draft.

As far as Penning, the new staff has a very mixed bag of results to work with while evaluating him. However, as someone said earlier, the needle is definitely trending up. He's not worth the 5th year tender amount, but he's not likely a cut bait candidate after the 2025 season. I honestly think the team will take the same approach it did with Ruiz. They will try to extend Penning before the season starts.

Ruiz, who was selected by the Saints with the 24th pick of the 2020 NFL draft, did not have his fifth-year option picked up in May 2024. His fifth-year option would have counted $14.1 million against the 2024 salary cap if it had been picked up. Instead, The Saints signed Cesar Ruiz to a four-year extension, worth up to $44 million, including $18 million guaranteed. I know people didn't like the deal, but for a starter, it's what we should expect.

Penning is set to cost close to $17 million against the cap next year if the fifth-year option is picked up. The Saints will politely pass and try to work out a long term deal. Why? For the same reason they did with Ruiz. The 5th year deal is great if the player turns into a pro-bowler. That's one more year you have to get the player a somewhat reasonable rate for a pro-bowl talent. That would be the Olave situation if he didn't have the concussions. But since there hasn't been that type of on-field return so far from Penning, picking up the 5th year doesn't really make sense. In this case, the savings is in securing the rights for an adequate player in a long term deal in the hopes that they continue to develop or can be traded after finding a better replacement. In either of these scenarios you're using an extension to entice the player to stay for a 5th year while taking a lower cap hit. It's a win-win. It's a practical solution to a roster management dilemma. This is why I didn't have a problem with the Ruiz extension and why I won't have a problem with the eventual Penning extension (given the new staff views him as at the very least an adequate starter).

5th year options allow teams an extra year to negotiate with their drafted players, who will command above average market value prices on the open market, while paying them today's average market value price for the best players at that position. Penning doesn't fit this category...but he's still young with starting capability. And that's why you extend him. You're paying him according to today's market value. And this is important. He has no pro-bowls, but he's a starter. Penning will be offered a contract based on today's average market value and NOT the average of the 3rd to 20th highest paid players who play Right Tackle. This is what the 5th year option would be based on for a player with Penning's snap count. He's not in that group and you don't want to pay him as if he's in the that group. BUT...at the same time, he's a young starter who could very well elevate into that group. Extend him and hope he outplays his contract. If he doesn't you can cut him after the next season. Extensions don't always mean the team loves a player. Sometimes it's just a numbers game. I'll skip the salary cap component but it should be easy to see how this helps both the cap and roster management purposes.
 
Olave just doesn’t have the trade value to move him. But I also can't see picking up his option. Let this year play out and see.

Penning is now decent and could become good, but at this point is not worth 17 mill. Extend him and kick the can.
 
Penning should realize we gave him chances no other team would have and sign a reasonable extension.
 
TribuneUK said:
For all the popular talk involving an Olave trade of some kind (across multiple threads), his medicals, the impending end of his rookie deal and the depth of this draft at WR suggest he'll net minimal return for any such trade. It's not his draft status as a #1 that will be on the minds of GMs making a call, by any means. The more attractive option may be to wait for the compensatory pick, whether after his rookie deal, or after his second contact.

Olave is an elite separator, dogged by fans who are easily frustrated by players like him, who don't show the iron man invincibility they expect from their gladiators, but he may still produce a lot of worthwhile snaps here or elsewhere. A new contract probably needs to be loaded with incentives to reflect his status as such.

Penning feels like someone the team will look to retain, whether they tag him while working out the cheaper mid-term deal, or negotiating that deal before May comes. His future is at tackle, as those with any knowledge of the OT/OG position have repeated many times. The draft's depth in OTs able to transition to guard give the team options to develop the next man up at RT if Penning doesn't sufficiently pan out over the next 2-3 years, or to leave them at OG accordingly.
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I'm not aching for Olave to be traded, but I don't see the depth at WR you see in this draft. It pales in comparison to last year's class. It pales in comparison to next year's class. Between all 3 years, Tet would probably be 8th or so ranked.

Olave is better than any prospective WR coming out this year. The concussions drop his value from the Saints being able to demand a 1st but it certainly doesn't completely wipe it out. So I definitely think there will be a market if the Saints want to move him and I think they do.
 
livefromDC said:
I'm not aching for Olave to be traded, but I don't see the depth at WR you see in this draft. It pales in comparison to last year's class. It pales in comparison to next year's class. Between all 3 years, Tet would probably be 8th or so ranked.

Olave is better than any prospective WR coming out this year. The concussions drop his value from the Saints being able to demand a 1st but it certainly doesn't completely wipe it out. So I definitely think there will be a market if the Saints want to move him and I think they do.
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I think you're closer to right on the quality of this year's draft at WR, I haven't looked all that closely. But I also think the factors of draftees on tap, the nearness of Olave's rookie deal ending and his cost skyrocketing as a result, plus concussions means that he's not so valuable as people may like to wish/imagine.
 
We drafted Penning as a raw prospect who would take time to adjust to the step up to the NFL.
It makes no sense to cut short that strategy by walking away from him after 3 years one of which was lost to injury.
If you’re going to commit to developing potential then we need to keep him on the team and keep improving his skills after a big step up last year. It would be preferable to resign him at a cheaper rate but we all know the salary cap means nothing to Khai 🤣
 
Geldo said:
We drafted Penning as a raw prospect who would take time to adjust to the step up to the NFL.
It makes no sense to cut short that strategy by walking away from him after 3 years one of which was lost to injury.
If you’re going to commit to developing potential then we need to keep him on the team and keep improving his skills after a big step up last year. It would be preferable to resign him at a cheaper rate but we all know the salary cap means nothing to Khai 🤣
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Agreed. It's always been know that he was a long term project. The FO knew this when they drafted him and he's still on course to develop into the player they thought he would.

www.profootballnetwork.com

Trevor Penning, Northern Iowa OT | NFL Draft Scouting Report

With a strong scouting report, can Northern Iowa OT Trevor Penning follow in Spencer Brown's footsteps and go early in the 2022 NFL Draft?
www.profootballnetwork.com www.profootballnetwork.com

He certainly has the upside to be a high-level starter — upside that makes him worthy of early-Round 1 consideration –, but it might take longer than people think for him to get to that point.
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MikeyF said:
Olave is a good player but he has had concussion/head injury problems dating back to college.

1742823350793.png
www.si.com

Chris Olave's Concussion History

Here's a snapshot at Olave's concussion history.
www.si.com www.si.com

I agree with trading him.
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3 in less than a year is alarming. I don't see any team giving much for him this year. More valuable to keep this year and see how it goes
 

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