New Orleans Saints Decline To Pick Up Fifth-Year Option On Defensive End Payton Turner

It is no surprise that the Saints will not pick up the fifth-year option on Payton Turner. Here are the obvious reasons why and a possible scenario that could play out

Credit:© Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

The New Orleans Saints have officially declined to pick up the fifth-year option on the contract of DE Payton Turner. All NFL draft choices have four-year contracts to begin their careers. Teams have an option to extend the contract of a first-round pick for a fifth season.

For all first-round picks in the 2021 NFL Draft, the opportunity to pick up that fifth-year option began on January 8. The deadline to pick it up was this afternoon. If the fifth-year option is not picked up, then that player becomes an unrestricted free agent after their fourth season.

A fifth-year option comes with a significant financial increase in the contract's last year. They have the option to do so after the first round choice has completed their third contractual season. Turner's cap hit for the Saints will be just over $3.9 million in 2024. If his fifth-year option is picked up, that cap hit would have been $13.88 million in 2025.

New Orleans Saints defensive end Payton Turner (98) against the Atlanta Falcons / Credit:© Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Payton Turner was the first round choice for the Saints in 2021. A defensive end out of the University of Houston, Turner was the 28th overall choice in the 2021 draft. He was the third edge rusher chosen that year and one of six defensive ends picked in the first round of the draft.

At 6'5" and 270-Lbs., Turner had 9.5 sacks with over 20 tackles for loss over his last two collegiate seasons. A late riser up draft boards because of strong postseason testing, he was expected to be a disruptive addition to the New Orleans defensive line.

It does not come as any surprise that the Saints will not pick up Turner's option year. To say that he hasn't exactly worked according to plan is a massive understatement. Turner has flashed some intriguing potential. The problem is that he has simply not been on the field enough to pay off the Saints' investment in him.

A variety of injuries has kept Turner sidelined far more than he's been on the field in three years. Over that span, Turner has appeared in only 15 of a possible 51 games. He's played a meager 339 defensive snaps in those three years, including only two games and 25 snaps in 2023.

New Orleans Saints defensive end Payton Turner (98) is carted off after an injury / Credit:© Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

In his 15 games played, Turner has actually shown why the Saints viewed him so highly, however briefly. He has three sacks, eight QB hits, 13 pressures, eight tackles for loss, and has blocked one field goal. He's also shown some versatility, being able to move inside to defensive tackle on some passing situations. It's simply been his lack of durability and availability that's made him such a huge disappointment.

Turner's lack of impact was one reason the Saints drafted DE Isaiah Foskey in the second round of last year's draft. Foskey did virtually nothing as a rookie. With a major need still at the position, New Orleans signed DE Chase Young in free agency this offseason. The second overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Young has also fallen well short of his immense draft expectations.

Future Hall of Fame DE Cameron Jordan has dealt with nagging injuries, will be 35 and entering his 13th season, and is coming off the worst statistical production since his rookie year. Jordan, Young, Foskey, and Turner present a ton of question marks for the Saints at this position entering 2024.

New Orleans declining to pick up Payton Turner's fifth-year option does not automatically mean that the team will part ways with him at the conclusion of his fourth year. If Turner stays healthy and plays well this season, it's possible that the Saints will try to negotiate a long-term extension. This is a scenario that played out last year with G Cesar Ruiz, a 2020 first-round choice, after the Saints did not pick up his fifth-year option.

For this to happen, even as a remote possibility, Turner would obviously need to stay healthy and play at an elite level early in the year. New Orleans will face this same decision over a fifth-year option with WR Chris Olave and OT Trevor Penning at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season.