I would pick up his option and make it clear he was on a prove-it year. I would also draft two CBs early in next years draft. In fact, i would do this even if I was convinced Okuduh was the answer at one corner. I would use the pick at #18OA to get a corner and a second day pick on another one, perhaps Kyu Blu Kelly out of Stanford–he reminds me of a more nimble version of Richard Sherman. I would also look to take a flyer on a CB in the sixth round if there was someone I liked.
Everyone believes this team is a contender, including myself. However, the Lions will not be a real contender unless the defense is substantially improved. The Lions not only need starters at CB, they need depth, as well. Giving up on Okuduh doesn’t seem realistic at this point, IMO.
pick up the 5th year. We don’t need to keep creating holes that we will need to keep filling. I think he has enough talent to start in this league.
If we get better talent (3 better corners than Jeff) THEN you can think about what to do with him. In his year 5 if we pick it up I guarantee some team will get an injury at CB. If they think they are a contender, Okudah would get us a decent bean if we no longer need him. He will still be young (25 or 26) with experience and the size teams like…
Let’s say we cut Okudah today. Do you think any NFL team would offer him a 1 year $11 million deal ??
He’s due a $4 million dollar roster bonus and a $1 million dollar salary for 2023. There is ZERO chance of me keeping him at $5 million a year. I would much rather use that money on another player. $11 million is just crazy talk IMO.
Okudah struggles with his back to the QB. He needs to go to a team that primarily plays zone. That’s why I suggested moving him to S. When he sees the play develop in front of him, he’s pretty solid at making plays on the ball as well as supporting the running game. He seems to have bulked up since he’s been here.
Oh I agree with that. Injuries have massively delayed his development and experience. With that said, Jacobs is making about 1/10th of Okudah and might be a more consistent player.
No way. He’s been injured a lot, and when he is on the field, he’s been mostly average. I think what’s going on here is 2 fold:
Lions fans are used to being so bad they are deathly afraid of losing talent. As long as I’ve been on this board, which is like 15 years, people ALWAYS say to re-sign the person in question. Always. And the reason is always the same - “we can’t afford to create more holes.” In general this board is almost always going to default to this philosophy.
The CB position is so awful on this team right now, the concept of losing Okudah I think is a big factor to people. Okudah is simply an average corner right now. I’m not sure you pay an average corner 11 million yearly salary. But I also understand that it’s scary to let him walk since they have essentially zero talent at CB right now which I get.
Just one more thing to add… Okudah has played in 25 games over 3 years. At no point during that time has he looked all the impressive if we’re being honest. This board was trying to hype him up as a “shut down CB” earlier this year but I thought DK Metcalf’s reaction of essentially laughing at that concept was telling on how his peers view him. And he ended the season being benched with a former 1st round bust and an undrafted CB coming off major injury taking his place.
I think declining the option but also working toward a new deal that pays him a salary reflective of his actual talent, and not draft position, makes a lot of sense.
Exactly where I’m coming from. I like Jeff, was great to see him battle back from a brutal injury. Being drafted 3rd overall has led to high priced seasons, he’s in line to make 10 mill next year in year 4 and the 5th year option is more like 11.5 mill. That’s a lot of money for an average corner with an up and down 3rd season. I’m rooting for the guy, but’s he expensive for the production/performance we are getting.
Let him know he’s in a contract year and if all goes well you will consider an extension but Okudah is nothing special and isn’t worth anything close to 11mil.
I like Okudah and think he has better days ahead. He is 24 in February.
I would follow the Steelers decision on Devin Bush. I decline the option but I am open to an extension after 2023.
To me the option represents value for the team and more time to work out a deal. Jeff hasn’t played up to that contract level.
By declining the option we can kiss any kind of a deal goodbye but I am also drafting two CBs in 2023 meaning I am prepping for life after Jeff now. But…I am open to an extension. But I would not bet on him getting there at this point do I decline the option and hope for a huge jump forward in 2023.
How can we answer this question? I have no idea what’s going on with Okudah. Did he have an injury that he was playing through? Bc if not then no you can’t pay him that kind of money. I love Jeff and have been amongst his biggest defenders so I hope there is more to the story.
Glass half full .,. When he’s right he’s excellent. Glass half empty … he doesn’t have the mental makeup of an elite CB as he’s too hard on himself and has too long of a memory when it comes to bad plays.
Even if his play declined because of an injury - is that any better? How many years is he going to be effected by injury before you factor that into the equation right? Some guys just constantly battle injuries and you have to accept that as part of the evaluation. Like with Swift.
Too bad this decision has to be made before we see the 2023 version of Okuduh.
I think 23 will be his best year yet. If so, what does that do to his price tag if he’s a FA?
He’s one of how many experienced CBs on this team? Keep him. He’s an NFL starter. Pay him his contract and try to get young, talented and cheaper players through the draft.
People love to make the Lions take two steps back then one step forward just to save money that’s not theirs. He can be a starter until our younger, cheaper options develop after a year. Then we can reassess.
Completely agree with you on that. Hopefully having a full offseason to heal and a seasons worth of tape for review, we will see the improved version next season.
This is definitely a difficult decision, no doubt, but lets not be short sighted about this. Okudah had a strtech of play that spanned over half the season of solid, bordering on elite play at times. He held Terry McLaurin in check and completely shut down both Devonta Smith and Justin Jefferson early on. He also had one of the best games I’ve EVER seen from a CB in run support against the Cowboys. This is all while coming off one of the most serious injuries in football and having played less than 10 career games, most coming under the worst staff in Lions history. He should take a step forward in 2023, but I think he has proven to be a solid player. A #2 CB at worst.
Guys like Bradley Roby, Ronald Darby, Kendall Fuller, Darious Williams, and Donte Jackson are making between 10-12mil AAV. By the time that option kicks in by 2024, his 11mil salary won’t even rank in the top 40 CBs. If Okudah happens to take a step forward in 2023, we are stuck with franchising him if we can’t come to an agreement. By then the tag number will be close to 20mil, almost double what his option is. If he plateaus and doesn’t get better from this year he is still a 8-12mil AAV player.
The smart move is to pick the option up, IMO. The only concern I have is his injury history. The staff will know this better than anyone and if his option doesn’t get picked up, my guess is they have long term concerns.
BINGO! Just because you pick up the option it doesn’t exclude him from not being here. Teams are always looking for CB help especially with injuries at the position.
The average injury that does cause a player to miss at least 1 game has a mean average length of 3.1 games missed. All told, a typical NFL player can expect to be healthy and available for about 14.2 games out of 16 per season. Overall, injury rates are fairly consistent across different positions, with a few exceptions.
Agreed. He was REALLY good for a stint, then fell off a bit. Because of the way he fell off, I suspect a shoulder injury. He is MONEY in run support, usually.
I can’t know for sure, but I really expect him back. I love what he brings to the squad and think he’s still improving.