The New Orleans Saints officially made their decision on one of their embattled former first-round draft picks.
As the 2025 NFL Draft is set to arrive Thursday, teams around the league are focused on the big weekend. However, there's also a bit of housekeeping to be done with fifth-year options for the 2022 draft class.
The Saints had two first-round selections in that class. One of them was star wide receiver Chris Olave. The other was offensive tackle Trevor Penning.
While meeting with reporters Wednesday ahead of the draft, general manager Mickey Loomis announced the decisions the team will make for both players.
Olave's fifth-year option decision is a no-brainer, and Loomis announced the team will exercise it. Penning, on the other hand, will not have his option exercised.
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In his first full season as a starter at right tackle, Penning allowed five sacks and 54 total pressures, the latter of which were the most among all NFL tackles in 2024, per Pro Football Focus.
Over The Cap currently projects Penning's fifth-year option to come at a value of $16.7 million. If a team exercises the fifth-year option, that amount becomes fully guaranteed for the fifth season.
Simply given the Saints' future cap issues, this would be an easy decision. Combine that with Penning's struggles in 2024, it's no surprise New Orleans is passing on the option for the former No. 19 pick.