Penei Sewell contract details: Detroit Lions OT pens lucrative deal
The Detroit Lions have agreed terms with their first-round draft pick Penei Sewell. Selected seventh overall, the offensive tackle from Oregon had opted out of the 2020 NFL season due to Covid-19 concerns.
Last week, Sewell was due to arrive at Detroit Lions Rookie Camp. However, days earlier, Sewell announced that he had tested positive for Covid, causing him to miss the camp.
Sewell signs 4-year rookie deal
On Tuesday morning, the Detroit Lions announced that they signed Penei Sewell to a four-year-rookie deal worth $24,100,000, a fully guaranteed contract along with a $14,880,000 signing bonus.
As a first-round pick, Sewell will also have a fifth-year team option on his contract, which will be accepted or declined after his third season in the NFL. Sewell is expected to have an immediate impact on the field as a starting offensive tackle with the Lions.
Leading up to the NFL Draft, scouts believed that Sewell was a first-round caliber player even though he missed the 2020 season. He has great size at 6'6, 325 pounds and has great footwork. His ability to stop both the pass and the rush is what the Lions really like and will find useful as Goff gets used to his new offensive play scheme.
Born in American Samoa, Sewell began playing football with his brothers when he was young. He and his family made the move to Utah before he started high school. His family made the decision to move to Utah so that he and his brothers could play football collegiately and professionally. The plan worked as Sewell was a four-star high school recruit, earning a scholarship to the University of Oregon.
He was immediately named a starting left tackle in his freshman year at Oregon, protecting Justin Herbert on the offensive line. Sewell was the first true freshman to start the season-opening game in over twenty years. Sewell started seven games in the 2018 season but missed six games due to an ankle injury.
In 2019, Sewell made an even bigger impact at offensive tackle. He was named the Morris Trophy winner, which is awarded to the best PAC-12 offensive or defensive lineman and is voted on by fellow PAC-12 football players. Sewell's ability to block whatever came at him clearly left an impression on his fellow competitors. Sewell was also awarded the Outland Trophy, which is given to the best interior lineman in college football.