The New York Giants announced on Wednesday that they picked up the fifth-year options on tight end Evan Engram and safety Jabrill Peppers.
The New York Giants announced on Wednesday evening they have picked up the fifth-year options on the rookie contracts of tight end Evan Engram and safety Jabrill Peppers. Barring a trade, the two will remain with Big Blue through the 2021 season.
Whether or not the Giants were going to pick up Engram and Peppers’ fifth-year options was one of the question marks hovering over this offseason. NFL teams are permitted to exercise the fifth-year option on first-round draft choices after they have played three years.
When a player has his option exercised, his rookie contract is extended by one year and guaranteed. The player is protected against injury but isn’t eligible to enter unrestricted free agency until after the conclusion of the fifth season, which will be 2021 for Engram and Peppers.
The Giants took Engram with the 23rd overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, and he has appeared in 34 out of a possible 48 games. He appeared in just eight games in 2019 catching 44 passes for 467 yards and three touchdowns. A foot injury on Nov. 4 against the Cowboys put an end to his season.
In his three seasons with Big Blue, Engram has 153 receptions for 1,766 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Giants pick up fifth-year options on TE Evan Engram and Safety Jabrill Peppers
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— New York Giants (@Giants) April 30, 2020
Peppers, 24, was the Cleveland Browns’ first-round draft pick in 2017 (25th overall). On March 13, 2019, he was traded to the Giants in the deal that sent Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns.
In his first season with the Giants, Peppers started the first 11 games and was second on the Giants with 71 tackles (47 solo). He had a 32-yard interception return for a touchdown against Dwayne Haskins in the Giants’ Week 4 victory over the Washington Redskins.
A fractured transverse process on his only kickoff return of the season in Week 12 against the Chicago Bears would put an end to his season. He was placed on injured reserve on Dec. 7.
Expect Engram and Peppers to play a huge role as first-year head coach Joe Judge looks to build a winning foundation with the Giants.
