Penei Sewell, the starting right tackle for the Detroit Lions, was selected in the first round, so the team has the option to add a fifth year to his rookie contract, which he will enter in 2024.
Sewell is slated to make little over $7.6 million in 2024 because he is still under contract for the current season; however, if the Lions add a fifth year, his contract would receive a large raise in 2025.
Incentives that compensate players based on performance are a feature of the majority of NFL contracts now, and rookie contracts already included these clauses. Players eligible for fifth-year options receive a contractual raise based on their first-round pick position; however, the value of that extra year is further influenced by playing time and Pro Bowl selections.
The well-known salary cap website OverTheCap.com does a fantastic job of analyzing the potential expenses of each eligible player’s fifth-year options based on the incentives that are triggered.
OTC projects that Sewell will receive a $19,718,000 fifth-year option for the 2025 campaign.
This is how they calculated that figure. Since Sewell was chosen seventh overall in the NFL draft class of 2021, it was anticipated that his base fifth-year option would begin at $15.4 million. His three-year Lions tenure has seen him play almost every offensive action, therefore the cost rises to $16.2 million based on playing time. That amount rises to $19.7 million with a single Pro Bowl selection and to $21.7 million with two.
Despite having been selected twice in his career, Sewell was listed as an alternative the first time, therefore his selection does not count against the fifth-year option under the terms of his contract. The only selection that counts is his 2023–24 Pro Bowl selection, as he was voted in during the preliminary round of selection.
With the season being concluded, the Lions have the opportunity to accept or reject Sewell’s fifth-year option at any point. On May 2, 2024, precisely one week after the opening day of the 2024 NFL Draft, this window will close.
The Lions should have no trouble choosing to accept the option. Sewell, who is only 23 years old, is already maybe this team’s top player. Sewell was selected to the Pro Bowl twice this season, and PFF deemed him the greatest offensive lineman in the NFL. He was also voted a first-team All-Pro. In his second season with the team, Sewell started to take the lead vocally. In 2023, he was appointed a captain, and he was the guy that disrupted the huddles by giving spirited remarks prior to every game.
Sewell, to put it simply, is the cornerstone upon which this squad is based, and $19.7 million is a good deal.
Furthermore, since Sewell has played in the league for three seasons, the Lions are able to sign Sewell to a lengthier contract extension rather than exercise the fifth-year option. The top five offensive tackles in the NFL make between $20 and $25 million a season, so locking Sewell down for a longer period of time would probably result in a higher average deal cost. However, the organization would also have more flexibility in determining when and how to take salary cap penalties.
Brad Holmes, the general manager, is now holding the ball.
