There are a ton of deadlines coming up very soon, and May 5th is the one where franchises have to decide if they will exercise their fifth-year options on first-round picks from the 2017 draft class. For the Falcons, that player is Takk McKinley, and it does not look like they will be picking up his fifth-year option.
Dan Quinn just said Takk McKinley’s fifth-year option will not be picked up, actually.
— Jason Butt (@JasonHButt) February 25, 2020
The way this news broke was a bit odd. Initially, Thomas Dimitroff said that the Falcons had not made a decision. Then, Dan Quinn came out and said they would not be picking up his option. Perhaps Dimitroff just misspoke because you would hate to see these two not on the same page as they enter a make-it or break-it year, or maybe Dan Quinn just let the news slip a little earlier than they would have liked.
The Falcons famously exercised Vic Beasley’s option around this time two years ago. Then, even more famously, they decided to follow through with the deal after an abysmal 2018 campaign. That turned out to bite them in the ass big-time, and it looks like they’ve learned their lesson.
McKinley has become the king of the “almost sack” over his three years in the league. He’s constantly pressuring the quarterback but is too out of control to finish the job. Unfortunately, that is a legitimate problem, and one the Falcons can’t just overlook in hopes that his production will spike this year.
Pingback: Trends with 5th Year Options With 2017 Rookie Decisions Looming | Over the Cap