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Nittany Lions In The NFL: Free Agency Roundup (So Far)

While many eyes are on Penn State football’s finest for the upcoming NFL Draft, some other Nittany Lions are making moves within the league, too.

The new NFL league year opened on March 17, and teams have been making moves left and right. Unsurprisingly, many former Penn State stars have found new homes or re-signed with their old teams.

Here’s a brief overview of how free agency has impacted Nittany Lions in the NFL so far.

Chris Godwin: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Super Bowl champion is staying put for the 2021 season thanks to signing a $15-16 million franchise tag tender with the Bucs. While Godwin was set to become a free agent, the non-exclusive franchise tag mostly binds him to Tampa Bay through the 2021 season.

The wide receiver can still negotiate with other teams, but Tampa Bay holds the right to match any contract offer made. He’ll be able to enter free agency or sign an extension after next season.

In his fourth year in the league, Godwin hauled in 65 catches for 840 yards and seven touchdowns. He caught more than 77% of his targets last season en route to becoming one of Tom Brady’s favorite receivers.

Allen Robinson: Chicago Bears

Wide receiver Allen Robinson is staying in Chicago for a fourth straight year. Similarly to Godwin, Robinson was also franchise tagged by the Bears. His deal is worth $18 million for the 2021 season, and the Nittany Lion has until July 15 to negotiate a long-term deal.

While the Bears struggled offensively for most of the season, Robinson solidified himself as one of the league’s premier receivers by catching 102 passes for a cool 1,250 yards and six touchdowns. He’ll likely catch passes from Andy Dalton during his 2021 campaign.

Marcus Allen: Pittsburgh Steelers

Allen will enter his fourth season in the NFL wearing black and gold once again. The safety-turned-linebacker signed a one-year contract with the Steelers worth $780,000. This new deal means he’ll play his fourth season in Pittsburgh in as many years.

Allen appeared in 17 games during the 2020 season, by far the most so far in his professional career. He logged 30 combined tackles, two tackles for loss, and two quarterback hits last season.

Donovan Smith: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

When you win a Super Bowl, why go anywhere else? Offensive lineman Donovan Smith recently inked a lucrative two-year, $31.8M extension with the Buccaneers.

Smith has started in 98 of a possible 100 games for Tampa Bay, totaling 6,684 offensive snaps in that time frame. When you do such a good job at protecting Tom Brady, you’re sure to get paid.

Austin Johnson: New York Giants

After spending the 2020 campaign in New York, defensive tackle Autin Johnson is re-signing with the Giants. His one-year deal is worth about $3 million.

Johnson spent the first three years of his NFL career with the Titans before signing with New York in 2020. He recorded 18 total tackles and two tackles for a loss in 16 games with the Giants last year.

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About the Author

Ryan Parsons

Ryan is a redshirt senior majoring in business and journalism from "Philadelphia" and mostly writes about football nowadays. You can follow him on Twitter @rjparsons9 or say hi via email at [email protected].

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