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Joe Tryon

Buccaneers To Decline Joe Tryon-Shoyinka’s Fifth-Year Option

April 30th, 2024 at 10:06pm CST by Ben Levine

The final pick of the 2021 first round won’t have his fifth-year option exercised. The Buccaneers won’t pick up Joe Tryon-Shoyinka‘s option for the 2025 season, according to Greg Auman of FOX Sports.

This move will make the linebacker a free agent following the 2024 campaign. Tryon-Shoyinka would have been attached to a fully guaranteed $13.25MM for the 2025 season had the Buccaneers picked up his fifth-year option option.

This isn’t a huge surprise considering the former 32nd-overall pick’s lack of production through three NFL seasons. Tryon-Shoyinka has yet to top 50 tackles or 10 tackles for loss in a season, although he has compiled at least four sacks in each of his three campaigns.

That includes a 2023 season where the linebacker finished with 45 stops, five sacks, and seven QB hits in 17 games (12 starts). Pro Football Focus ended up ranking the 25-year-old 71st among 112 qualifying edge defenders, with the site giving him some hope for his pass-rush ability.

Tryon-Shoyinka should continue manning one of the starting OLB spots in 2024 opposite YaYa Diaby. However, the organization has started to add some depth to the position, as the Buccaneers selected Chris Braswell in the second round of last weekend’s draft.

2025 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker

April 24th, 2024 at 10:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

NFL teams have until May 2 to officially pick up fifth-year options on 2021 first-rounders. The 2020 CBA revamped the option structure and made them fully guaranteed, rather than guaranteed for injury only. Meanwhile, fifth-year option salaries are now determined by a blend of the player’s position, initial draft placement and performance- and usage-based benchmarks:

  • Two-time Pro Bowlers (excluding alternates) will earn the same as their position’s franchise tag
  • One-time Pro Bowlers will earn the equivalent of the transition tag
  • Players who achieve any of the following will receive the average of the third-20th-highest salaries at their position:
    • At least a 75% snap rate in two of their first three seasons
    • A 75% snap average across all three seasons
    • At least 50% in each of first three seasons
  • Players who do not hit any of those benchmarks will receive the average of the third-25th top salaries at their position

With the deadline looming, we will use the space below to track all the option decisions from around the league:

  1. QB Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars ($25.66MM): Exercised
  2. QB Zach Wilson, Broncos* ($22.41MM): Declined
  3. QB Trey Lance, Cowboys** ($22.41MM): Declined
  4. TE Kyle Pitts, Falcons ($10.88MM): Exercised
  5. WR Ja’Marr Chase, Bengals ($21.82MM): Exercised
  6. WR Jaylen Waddle, Dolphins ($15.59MM): Exercised
  7. T Penei Sewell, Lions ($19MM): Extended through 2029
  8. CB Jaycee Horn, Panthers ($12.47MM): Exercised
  9. CB Patrick Surtain, Broncos ($19.82MM): Exercised
  10. WR DeVonta Smith, Eagles ($15.59MM): Extended through 2028
  11. QB Justin Fields, Steelers*** ($25.66MM): Declined
  12. DE Micah Parsons, Cowboys ($21.32MM): Exercised
  13. T Rashawn Slater, Chargers ($19MM): Exercised
  14. OL Alijah Vera-Tucker, Jets ($13.31MM): Exercised
  15. QB Mac Jones, Jaguars**** ($25.66MM): Declined
  16. LB Zaven Collins, Cardinals ($13.25MM): Declined
  17. T Alex Leatherwood, Raiders: N/A
  18. LB Jaelan Phillips, Dolphins ($13.3MM): Exercised
  19. LB Jamin Davis, Commanders ($14.48MM): Declined
  20. WR Kadarius Toney, Chiefs***** ($14.35MM): Declined
  21. DE Kwity Paye, Colts ($13.4MM): Exercised
  22. CB Caleb Farley, Titans ($12.47MM): Declined
  23. T Christian Darrisaw, Vikings ($16MM): Exercised
  24. RB Najee Harris, Steelers ($6.79MM): Declined
  25. RB Travis Etienne, Jaguars ($6.14MM): Exercised
  26. CB Greg Newsome, Browns ($13.38MM): To be exercised
  27. WR Rashod Bateman, Ravens ($14.35MM): N/A; extended through 2026
  28. DE Payton Turner, Saints ($13.39MM): Declined
  29. CB Eric Stokes, Packers ($12.47MM): Declined
  30. DE Greg Rousseau, Bills ($13.39MM): Exercised
  31. LB Odafe Oweh, Ravens ($13.25MM): Exercised
  32. LB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, Buccaneers ($13.25MM): Declined

* = Jets traded Wilson on April 22, 2024
** = 49ers traded Lance on August 25, 2023
*** = Bears traded Fields on March 16, 2024
**** = Patriots traded Jones on March 10, 2024
***** = Giants traded Toney on October 27, 2022

Bucs To Start YaYa Diaby Over Joe Tryon-Shoyinka

December 3rd, 2023 at 12:13pm CST by Rory Parks

The Buccaneers have made a switch at outside linebacker. Head coach Todd Bowles said on a recent appearance on the Buccaneers Radio Network that third-round rookie YaYa Diaby, who earned the first start of his pro career against the Colts last week, will start opposite Shaq Barrett moving forward, thereby relegating Joe Tryon-Shoyinka to reserve duty (via JoeBucsFan.com).

Tryon-Shoyinka, a 2021 first-rounder, solidified himself as a starting OLB at the end of his rookie season and started 16 of Tampa Bay’s 17 games in 2022. He posted four sacks and 10 QB hits in 2021, but despite playing nearly twice as many snaps the following season, he again registered four sacks and just 14 QB hits. Thus far this season, he has again tallied four sacks to go along with six QB hits.

The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus consider Tryon-Shoyinka a slightly above-average edge defender in 2023, assigning him a 67.1 overall score and a 63.5 mark as a pass rusher, which are nearly identical to the grades he earned in 2022. That is a respectable enough performance, but at this point, the Bucs probably expected more from a former first-round pick in his third professional campaign. As Bowles said, Diaby “does some things better than Joe” and “probably is the [physically] strongest [outside linebacker] we have out there.”

In roughly 150 fewer snaps, Diaby has matched Tryon-Shoyinka’s sack total and has recorded just one fewer QB hit. He turned in a two-sack performance in Tampa Bay’s Week 11 loss to the 49ers, which is what prompted Bowles to elevate him to the starting lineup against Indianapolis in Week 12.

The hope, of course, is that Diaby can provide more of a consistent threat to opposing quarterbacks, especially since Barrett — who suffered a torn Achilles in the middle of last season — is struggling to match the level of production he has enjoyed for much of his Bucs tenure. Buoyed by strong showings from D-linemen Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey, the club at least has managed to remain in the middle of the pack in terms of total sacks.

While Bowles did say that Tryon-Shoyinka would still see playing time, the demotion comes at a very bad time for the Washington product. Tampa Bay will have to make a decision on his fifth-year option by May 2024, and it seems unlikely the team will exercise it. The option would give Tryon-Shoyinka a fully-guaranted salary of $12.8MM in 2025.

Buccaneers Sign Joe Tryon

June 22nd, 2021 at 12:04pm CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers have signed first-round linebacker Joe Tryon, per a club announcement. Tryon, the final Round 1 pick of this year’s draft, could prove to be a tremendous value for Tampa Bay.

Tryon underwent a knee scope in early May, resolving an issue that may have impacted his stock. Luckily, that hasn’t kept the Washington product off of the practice field.

“Yeah, he’s full-speed now and he looked really, really good,” head coach Bruce Arians said during mandatory minicamp. “He’s obviously everything we thought he was. Obviously we’ll learn more in pads. But he’s slippery in shorts and a lot of guys aren’t. He showed some really good skillset.”

Tryon opted out of the 2020 collegiate season, but he was a menace in 2019. In his final year on the field, the outside linebacker tallied eight sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss. Now, he’s ready to add even more firepower to the Bucs’ front seven.

With Tryon in the fold, the Bucs now have six of their seven draft picks signed. Meanwhile, most of the first round is now in the books — less than ten Round 1 selections remain unsigned.

Ten First-Round Picks Remain Unsigned

June 20th, 2021 at 2:49pm CST by Zachary Links

This year, NFL teams have been quick to tackle their rookie paperwork. Still, there are a decent number of unsigned draft picks remaining, including ten of this year’s first-rounders: 

In a sense, this is a sign that things are back to normal in football following the pandemic. For example, by June 12th of 2019, 22 first-round picks had put pen to paper, with 222 rookies inked on the whole. However, around this time last year, there were just two first-round picks officially in the fold – Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and Panthers defensive lineman Derrick Brown.

Offset language and similar minutia could be holding these ten deals up, but there’s no reason to panic. In all likelihood, these rookie contracts will be squared away before the start of training camp this summer.

NFC South Notes: Lance, Tryon, Spencer

May 18th, 2021 at 10:47pm CST by Rory Parks

Let’s take a look at some news and notes from the NFC South as we approach the witching hour on this Tuesday evening:

  • The Falcons were perhaps the most interesting team to watch during the first hour of last month’s draft, as they could have gone in any number of directions. Ultimately, they kept their No. 4 overall pick and selected Florida TE Kyle Pitts as part of their effort to gear up for one final run with Matt Ryan. But if the 49ers had not selected North Dakota State QB Trey Lance one pick before Atlanta, then Lance might be holding Ryan’s clipboard this year. The Falcons were represented at both of Lance’s Pro Days, and as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com writes, if there was a signal-caller to stop Atlanta from taking Pitts, Lance might have been it (subscription required). A source tells Fowler that Lance thought the Falcons were the club most interested in him, and after the Pro Days, NDSU coaching staff got the sense that Lance would not fall past Atlanta.
  • The final pick of the first round of this year’s draft, Joe Tryon, underwent a knee scope a few weeks ago, per Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians (Twitter link via Jenna Laine of ESPN.com). Luckily, Arians said the Washington product should be ready to go by next month’s mandatory minicamp. Tryon opted out of the 2020 collegiate season, but he was a menace in 2019, racking up eight sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss. He should provide even more firepower to Tampa’s front seven.
  • The Panthers continue to make additions to their personnel department. Carolina has hired former Washington Football Team scout Cole Spencer as its new director of college scouting, the team announced. The Panthers hired former linebacker Dan Morgan as their assistant GM last week, and new general manager Scott Fitterer is continuing to put his stamp on the front office. Spencer had been with WFT for over a decade and was promoted to national scout in 2019.