Fifth Year Options Minkah & Terrell

Looking at the new performance based fifth year option formula the options on Minkah and Terrell will be $10.6m and $6.5m respectively for 2022. Steelers have until May 3rd to pick them up.

Minkah is a no brainer but at those figures I expect them to pick up both.
I expect Minkah will sign a lucrative deal next off season, he has more than earned it.

Under the old system Terrell’s number would have been higher, over $10m in fact. Thoughts?

https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-sets-values-for-fifth-year-options-on-2018-first-rounders

 

My thoughts....Edmunds sucks.
No sucks isn't correct. Hes not very good. With all that physical talent.

 

Whether or not people like Terrell or not, thanks to the $182.5 Million figure, the Steelers will find a way to pick up Terrell's fifth year option. The reason is simple; the back end relies HEAVILY on the safeties due to the scheme used by the Steelers since Dick LeBeau came to town. If anything, the 2013 Seattle Seahawks are coincidentally enough a very strong example of why having a great safety tandem is better than a great Corner Duo in the NFL..... despite that team having both.



Now, before I get into why Terrell needs the option picked up, let us go over the obvious; Mike Tomlin has LEARNED his lesson when attempting to play "musicial chairs" in the secondary circa 2015-2018. Namely Sean Davis, switching out combinations of any skill group not only cripples communication but also and, most importantly, synergy. 2018 was quite possibly the worst Steelers Pass Defense in the Kevin Colbert Era and is a runaway for worst in the Tomlin Era as well. 2019 onward?! Different story. Yes, Minkah Fitzpatrick played an UNIMAGINABLE part in that.... in 2019. 2020?! Both he and Terrell formed arguably the best Safety Tandem in the Conference and a Top 5 Tandem Overall. Part of that does have to do with Minkah no doubt. Another aspect is Terrell's improvement year over year despite having no turnovers in 2019. The biggest aspect is Terrell's synergy with Minkah. That is what allowed Minkah to pick and choose specific spots in certain games a la Troy Polamalu (the first matchup against Cleveland where he took a pick six definitley is a good starting point for this).




Now, some may be thinking "just draft another Safety!" Initially and, admittedly, I too fell into this logic of thinking as well.... but for different reasons. Since the new CBA in 2011, no team with multiple First Round Picks have ever picked up options for all those players. Terrell's 2019 season irked me to no end and I thought Minkah spelled the beginning of the end for him. That was.... until I thought of what could happen to Minkah if the team elects to find another new face yet again alongside him. That would be cataclysmic schematically, for two reasons.



1.) Said hypothetical FA/Rookie now has to catch up to speed with not just the Steelers Playbook but also Minkah's tendencies and preferences; a nightmare for any duo of any kind.



Most importantly



2.) This now essentially makes Minkah a Single High Safety as the hypothetical FA/Rookie will need time to catch up. Until that happens, Keith Butler will have no choice but to employ Cover 1 across the board until said player becomes more accustomed to the playback.





However, the biggest reason Terrell Edmunds is likely staying a Steeler for a while is two major aspects; playing time and age. Outside of a missed game, Terrell Edmunds has played an average of about 90% of the snapcount since his Rookie Season. That is a lot of experience within a system that I really do not forsee anyone in FA or the Drafr replacing. Being 23 years of age also helps as Terrell still has not reached his peak yet as a player. Still plenty of time for him to obtain more tools to his toolbox to be a Top 10 Strong Safety (yes I said that) in the game.... if he is not already (again, yes... I just did say that as well). If his continual improvement in not just his ball skills but coverage from 2020 is anything to go off of, expect Terrell Edmunds to be, at the very least, on the Pro Bowl Ballot in 2021.





In short?! It might have taken Terrell Edmunds some time and he definitley has taken his lumps. Even so, Terrell Edmumds may have finally found out how to put it all together and not a moment too soon either. Add Minkah Fitzpatrick and the Steelers could field the AFC's Best Safety Duo by the time 2021 rolls around.

 

@AskQuestionsLater covered most of the guts. I"d say granular information, but this is football.

I think they keep the option. They could draft a S if a prime candidate is there in the draft over the next couple of years, but the cost for Edmunds is relatively low. IMHO, he earns that keep. Meanwhile, see who may be there, and if they are, how they develop. Who knows, maybe Edmunds pulls a Dupree.

Either way, the cost is reasonable.

 

I don't know if I have ever seen a 1st round Db as stiff as T. Edmunds is.
I'm not talking about making picks . He takes awful angles on things, he misses a lot of tackles, his hips are like welded in2 place. That's why his angles are so bad.
I don't want 2 see stats on his tackles either. Want 2 show stats. How about stats of His missed tackles, or the I got 2 come back around cause I missed the 1st time( thank goodness they slowed you down) tackles.

 

Minkah Fitzpatrick: Yes

Terrell Edmonds: No

 

Yes on both. Every player on D can't be a stud, Edmunds is a great tackler, Minkah is a great center fielder. The depth on the front 7 is nil, plenty of D holes to fill in coming years.

 

This.



People need to understand that being a First Round pick does not automatically mean a golden ticket to Canton Ohio. For that matter, it also does not automatically mean that said player will be a perennial All Pro. Even among the Top 5 picks, there are too many variables to account for.



To expect such is simply impossible no matter what round selection a player is. Tyrann Matheiu is a perfect example. Selected in the Third Round due to character concerns, he ended up on the 2010s All Decade Team. Usually speaking, earning a spot on said team means that player has a strong chance to earn a gold jacket. Another is Richard Sherman.

 

No not everyone can be great . 1st round or not, but who the heck had a 1st round grade on T. Edmunds.
Besides us apparently.

If he was a 3rd ...I know for myself I wouldn't have been as critical, but knowing other players We could have had , and still ,maybe have gotten him....that's what bothers me.

 

I'd 5th year option both. The longer he and Minkah play together the better.

People treat Edmunds as a whipping boy of the defense, Solid at tackling, he's not ideal in coverage at times, and more sadly doesn't make many splash plays. But, he's far from trash as the fans treat him. He also seems to be a very solid personality guy.

I say this about Edmunds had he been a 2nd, 3rd or 4th round draft choice, people would think that he is good and not complain.

But, since he was a 1st round selection, he stinks, he is terrible, on and on.

Was he a TJ Watt homerun selection absolutely not.
But he is not a Jarvis Jones bust selection either.

Bud Dupree used to be a whipping boy too, every thought he wasn't good, well Bud is going to get paid some money even with a damaged knee.

 

I did actually. A lot of GMs did according to Jeremy Fowler shortly after the draft. Terrell Edmunds issue was his lack of experience being a safety. Nothing more and nothing less.



Fast forward to 2021 and he has shown he is a rock solid Strong Safety in the game. As I said before, one can make the argument for Terrell Edmunds now being a Top 10 Strong Safety in the NFL as of now. There are not many safeties with his abilities to play both the run and pass as well as says Derwin James and maybe Jamal Adams. Yes, Jamal Adams is the far superior Blitzer and has slightly better run support but Terrell beats him in Coverage. Other examples as well but the overall point remains.



Terrell has come a long way since his rookie season. Sure, I myself would rather have a Rookie hit the fast track a la TJ Watt. However, players like TJ Watt and Devin Bush are outliers and not normal occurances.

 

WELL........ OH YEAH? SAYS YOU!!!!!

 

We Will have 2 agree 2 disagree. I dont think he's very good at much anything ,and I don't see all the improvements you talk about.
That's cool though.

 

Fair enough!!

 

Minkah is a beast. Edmunds is trash.

 

Disagree.


Edmunds underperformed in 2019. 2020 is a different story.