The Indianapolis Colts have plenty of decisions to make this offseason, including whether they exercise the fifth-year option on the rookie contract of defensive end Kwity Paye.
As a first-round pick, Paye’s rookie contract includes a fifth-year team option. Teams must decide to exercise or decline the option before the fourth year of the rookie contract. The Colts have until May 2 to make that decision.
While there are different levels of cost for the fifth-year options based on performance and playing time, we now know what it would cost the Colts to pick up the option.
And here are the fifth-year option numbers for 2021 first-round picks — a list including Trevor Lawrence, Ja’Marr Chase, Jaylen Waddle, Penei Sewell, Pat Surtain II, DeVonta Smith, Justin Fields and Micah Parsons, among others.
Teams have until May 2 to exercise the options. pic.twitter.com/DHbJUB5sQQ
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 23, 2024
Paye does not qualify for either of the Pro Bowl tiers since he hasn’t made one during the first three seasons of his career. He also failed to qualify for the playing-time criterion, meaning his fifth-year option would cost the Colts $13,387,000.
#Colts DE Kwity Paye snap counts by season:
2021: 58.57%
2022: 47.98%
2023: 59.78%I don't believe he qualifies for the playtime criteria so he gets the "basic" $13.387 million https://t.co/SCHqfVUvkV
— Kevin Hickey (@KevinHickey11) February 23, 2024
In order to meet the playing-time criterion, a player must meet one of the following criteria in terms of offensive or defensive snap counts:
- 75% or greater in two of their first three seasons
- Average of 75% or greater over all three seasons
- 50% or greater over all three seasons
Paye failed to hit the final criteria because of his snap counts in 2022. This is despite the fact that he averages roughly 60% of the snaps in the games he’s been active for throughout his career.
Paye is still developing his game, but he has continued to show improvement. The Colts want to see more consistency out of him as a pass rusher, but he did log a career-high 8.5 sacks and has improved that mark every season in the league.
The increasing salary cap might make this decision easy for the Colts considering they have a lot of money to work with over the course of the next few offseasons.
