Eagles Rumors: Derek Barnett's 5th-Year Contract Option Will Be Exercised

The Philadelphia Eagles will reportedly exercise their fifth-year option on defensive end Derek Barnett Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice reported Monday.   

Kempski added:

"Barnett, who is still only 23 years old, has made his share of huge plays in big moments, and the coaching staff loves him. They praise Barnett any chance they get, often citing his toughness and work ethic. In my view, while his numbers aren't great, Barnett has improved his repertoire of pass rush moves, and believe that he is a prime breakout candidate in 2020. We'll see."

The Eagles selected Barnett 14th overall in the 2017 NFL draft.

To Kempski's point, Barnett recovered the fumble after Brandon Graham sacked Tom Brady to seal the Eagles' Super Bowl LII victory over the New England Patriots:

Barnett had the best statistical season of his pro career last season with 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, 22 quarterback hits and 30 tackles across 14 regular-season games (all starts).

In 2018, he missed 10 games because of a shoulder injury that required season-ending surgery.

As a rookie, the Tennessee product recorded 5.0 sacks, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble, 16 quarterback hits and 21 tackles across 15 games (no starts).

The fifth-year option gives the Eagles an opportunity to see whether Barnett continues his momentum from 2019 or proves to be a durability risk before committing to him long-term.

Barnett will be owed around $10 million in 2021, per Kempski.