Contract Terms
In a surprising move, Tom Pelissero is reporting that the Los Angeles Rams gave TE Colby Parkinson a three-year deal worth $22.5 million with $15 million guaranteed.
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Fantasy Football Impact
Parkinson was the Seattle Seahawks' fourth-round pick in 2020 and has had a pretty quiet career. He caught ten balls through his first two seasons, and in 2022, the Seahawks traded for Noah Fant, keeping Parkinson third on the depth chart. Over the last two years, splitting time with Fant and Will Dissly, Parkinson has improved, catching 25 balls on 34 targets and scoring two touchdowns in each of the last two seasons.
At 6-foot-7 and 265 lbs, he is a large human being and a pretty good player, but this deal came out of nowhere. Footballguys staffer Jason Wood immediately wrote, "That Parkinson deal is massive! We have to view him as the Rams' starter now, something I absolutely didn't see coming."
The Rams run a fantasy-friendly scheme for tight ends. Over the last five seasons, they have averaged 117 targets to the position. In those same five seasons, the Rams' starter, Tyler Higbee, finished as a top-10 fantasy tight end twice and top-15 one other time. Parkinson was the TE37 last season on 34 targets. The Rams targeted Higbee twice as much, and he finished as the TE23 in a down year. It's not a huge bump in value, but if Parkinson can be more effective with his targets than Higbee was last year, he could become a weekly streaming candidate.
The Fantasy Football Fallout
As expected, the fallout in Seattle is minimal. They just didn't rely on Parkinson that much. He was one part of a three-person committee at tight end. The Seahawks also saw TE Will Dissly take an offer from the Chargers, but they re-signed Noah Fant. Fant is now the lone starter and should benefit from the volume sure to head his way.
With the Rams, let's start by saying that Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, and Kyren Williams are safe. Parkinson is a complementary piece and will not affect their roles in this offense. Sports Illustrated noted that Parkinson has grown as a run blocker since joining the league, so he could help Williams improve.
Tyler Higbee has been with the Rams since 2016, and the team just gave him an extension at the start of last year, keeping him locked up until 2025. However, he is 31 years old and recently tore his ACL in the playoffs. His timetable for recovery is unknown, but the deal given to Parkinson likely means the Rams are not optimistic.
Last season, the Rams also saw contributions from Davis Allen, Brycen Hopkins, and Hunter Long at tight end, but none made a significant impact. Allen was just a rookie and played well in Weeks 14 and 18, but he will remain a backup to Parkinson. If Parkinson can step into the high-volume role we saw from Higbee in 2022, it might also limit the upside of Tutu Atwell and Demarcus Robinson at wide receiver.
Stock Watch
Risers
- Colby Parkinson
- Kyren Williams, from a run-blocking standpoint
- Noah Fant
Fallers
Overview
Colby Parkinson, the 25-year-old tight end who saw minimal playing time in Seattle, has been given a three-year, $22.5 million deal from the Los Angeles Rams. The size of this contract signals that he will be their starter and offered a more prominent role than he had with the Seahawks.