Rashaad Armein Penny (born February 2, 1996) is an American former football running back who played for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Seattle Seahawks. He played college football for the San Diego State Aztecs and was drafted by the Seahawks in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft. After five seasons with the Seahawks, Penny spent one season with the Philadelphia Eagles before retiring in 2024.

Rashaad Penny
refer to caption
Penny in 2018
No. 20, 23
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born: (1996-02-02) February 2, 1996 (age 28)
Norwalk, California, U.S.
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school:Norwalk
College:San Diego State (2014–2017)
NFL draft:2018 / round: 1 / pick: 27
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards:1,951
Rushing average:5.6
Rushing touchdowns:13
Receptions:28
Receiving yards:227
Receiving touchdowns:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Penny attended and played high school football at Norwalk High School.[1][2] He had a very productive senior season as he rushed for 2,504 yards and 41 rushing touchdowns on 216 carries and caught 21 passes for 665 receiving yards and 10 receiving touchdowns. He committed to play college football at SDSU over offers from Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Nevada, San Jose State, and Utah State.[3]

College career

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Penny played college football for the San Diego State Aztecs from 2014 to 2017.[4] During the 2016 season, Penny rushed for 1,018 yards on 136 carries for an average of 7.5 yards per carry.[5]

As a senior in 2017, Penny rushed for 216 yards and 12.0 yards per carry against Arizona State and 175 yards and 5.5 yards per carry against Stanford.[6][7] On September 25, 2017, he received the Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Week award for the fourth consecutive week.[8][9] During the 2017 regular season, he ranked first among all Division I FBS players with 2,027 rushing yards.[10]

College statistics

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Season Team GP Rushing Receiving
Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD
2014 San Diego State 10 2 22 11.0 21 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
2015 San Diego State 14 61 368 6.0 55 4 8 120 15.0 33 1
2016 San Diego State 14 135 1,005 7.4 73 11 15 224 14.9 41 3
2017 San Diego State 13 289 2,248 7.8 95 23 19 135 7.1 33 2
Career 51 487 3,643 7.5 95 38 42 479 11.4 41 6

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 11 in
(1.80 m)
220 lb
(100 kg)
31+14 in
(0.79 m)
9+14 in
(0.23 m)
4.46 s 1.58 s 2.63 s 32+12 in
(0.83 m)
10 ft 0 in
(3.05 m)
13 reps
All values from NFL Combine[11][12]

Seattle Seahawks

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Penny was selected by the Seattle Seahawks with the 27th overall pick in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft.[13] On May 16, 2018, Penny signed a four-year deal worth $10.7 million featuring a $5.9 million signing bonus.[14] He made his NFL debut in the Seahawks' 27–24 loss to the Denver Broncos in the season opener. He had seven carries for eight yards to go along with four receptions for 35 yards.[15] In a Week 10 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Penny had a breakout game with 12 carries for 108 yards and a touchdown.[16] Overall, he finished his rookie season with 419 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.[17] The Seahawks made the playoffs as the #5-seed and faced off against the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card Round. In the 24–22 loss, Penny had four carries for 29 rushing yards.[18]

In Week 2 of the 2019 season against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Penny rushed 10 times for 62 yards and his first rushing touchdown of the season as the Seahawks won 28–26.[19] During Week 12 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Penny finished with 129 rushing yards and a touchdown as the Seahawks won 17–9.[20] In Week 13 against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football, Penny rushed 15 times for 74 yards and a touchdown and caught four passes for 33 yards and a touchdown in the 37–30 win.[21] In Week 14, Penny suffered a torn ACL and was ruled out the rest of the season.[22] Overall, in the 2019 season, Penny appeared in ten games and recorded 370 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns to go along with eight receptions for 83 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.[23]

Penny was placed on the active/physically unable to perform list (PUP) at the start of training camp on August 3, 2020.[24] He was moved to the reserve/PUP list at the start of the regular season on September 5, 2020.[25] Penny was activated from the PUP list into the active roster on December 19, 2020.[26] He appeared in three games in the 2020 season.[27]

The Seahawks declined to exercise the fifth-year option on Penny's contract on May 3, 2021, making him a free agent after the 2021 season.[28] He was placed on injured reserve on October 2, 2021.[29] He was activated on October 25, 2021.[30] In Week 14, Penny had a breakout game rushing 16 times for 137 yards and two touchdowns in a 33–13 win over the Houston Texans.[31] In Week 16, Penny ran for 135 yards in the 25–24 loss to the Chicago Bears.[32] In Week 17, Penny ran for 170 yards on 25 carries along with two touchdowns in a 51–29 win against the Detroit Lions, continuing his breakout set of games.[33] For his game against Detroit, he won NFC Offensive Player of the Week.[34] In Week 18, Penny rushed for a career-best 190 yards on 23 carries along with a rushing touchdown during an upset win over the Arizona Cardinals.[35] Overall, Penny played in ten games rushing for 749 yards on 119 attempts, and six touchdowns, all career highs.[36] He led in the NFL in yards per rushing attempt among qualified players with 6.3.[37]

The Seahawks re-signed Penny on a one-year deal worth $5.7 million on March 20, 2022.[38] In Week 4, against the Lions, Penny had 17 carries for 151 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 48–45 victory.[39] In Week 5, Penny suffered a season-ending broken fibula in the 32–39 loss against the New Orleans Saints. He was placed on injured reserve on October 14, 2022.[40]

Philadelphia Eagles

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On March 15, 2023, Penny signed a one-year contract with the Eagles.[41] He was originally seen as a replacement for running back Miles Sanders, who departed for the Carolina Panthers in free agency over the offseason. However, later in the offseason, the Eagles acquired D'Andre Swift from the Detroit Lions in a trade, and leading up to the 2023 season, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni would not announce a starting running back, instead planning for a "committee approach" to the position, where Penny, Swift, Kenneth Gainwell, and Boston Scott would share carries.[42] Despite this, Penny would end up seeing the least playing time, only appearing in three games throughout the season with 11 carries and a total of 33 yards.

Carolina Panthers

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On May 6, 2024, Penny signed with the Carolina Panthers.[43] On July 30, Penny was placed on the reserve/retired list by the Panthers.[44]

Personal life

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Penny has four siblings: Robert Jr., Elijhaa, Breonna, and Brionne.[45] His parents are Desiree and Robert Penny.[46] Penny's older brother Elijhaa is a retired NFL fullback.[47][48]

References

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  1. ^ Sondheimer, Eric (September 17, 2017). "Penny family's loyalty to Norwalk inspires as the youngest son leads the Lancers to victory". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  2. ^ Kopff, Loren (May 2, 2018). "Norwalk's Rashaad Penny living the dream, drafted by Seattle Seahawks". Los Cerritos Community News. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  3. ^ "Rashaad Penny College Bio". SDSU Athletics. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  4. ^ "Rashaad Penny College Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  5. ^ "Rashaad Penny College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  6. ^ "Rashaad Penny". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  7. ^ Easterling, Luke (September 17, 2017). "The Rashaad Penny show trucks through Stanford in upset win". Draft Wire/USA Today.
  8. ^ "Rashaad Penny Earns Fourth Straight MWC Offensive Award". FOX Sports. September 25, 2017. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  9. ^ Kenney, Kirk (September 25, 2017). "Aztecs' Rashaad Penny is Mountain West Player of Week for record fourth straight week". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  10. ^ "FBS (I-A) Player Rushing Statistics – 2017". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  11. ^ "NFL Draft Prospect Profile – Rashaad Penny". NFL.com. March 1, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  12. ^ "San Diego State RB Rashaad Penny : 2018 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile". NFLDraftScout.com. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  13. ^ Wesseling, Chris (April 26, 2018). "Seahawks bolster RB ranks by drafting Rashaad Penny". NFL.com. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  14. ^ Bergman, Jeremy (May 16, 2018). "Seahawks sign 2018 first-rounder Rashaad Penny". NFL.com. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  15. ^ Condotta, Bob (September 9, 2018). "Stock watch: How did the Seahawks grade out in their 27–24 opening-week defeat to the Broncos?". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  16. ^ "Rashaad Penny On 108 Yards Against The Rams". Seahawks.com. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  17. ^ "Rashaad Penny 2018 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  18. ^ "Wild Card – Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys – January 5th, 2019". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  19. ^ "Wilson, Seahawks edge Steelers 28–26 as Roethlisberger exits". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 15, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  20. ^ "Penny runs for 129 yards, Seahawks beat Eagles 17–9". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 24, 2019. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  21. ^ "Seahawks take over 1st place in NFC West, beat Vikings 37–30". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 2, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  22. ^ Shook, Nick (December 9, 2019). "Rashaad Penny suffers torn ACL, out for season". NFL.com. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  23. ^ "Rashaad Penny 2019 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  24. ^ Boyle, John (August 3, 2020). "Seahawks TE Will Dissly Passes Physical; RB Rashaad Penny Opens Camp On PUP List". Seahawks.com. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  25. ^ Boyle, John (September 5, 2020). "Seahawks Make Roster Moves To Establish Initial 53-Man Roster". Seahawks.com. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  26. ^ Boyle, John (December 19, 2020). "Seahawks Activate RB Rashaad Penny & DE Damontre Moore". Seahawks.com. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  27. ^ "Rashaad Penny 2020 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  28. ^ Alper, Josh (May 3, 2021). "Seahawks are not expected to pick up Rashaad Penny's 2022 option". NBCSports.com. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  29. ^ Boyle, John (October 2, 2021). "Seahawks Activate Colby Parkinson & Cedric Ogbuehi From IR, Place Rashaad Penny On IR". Seahawks.com. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  30. ^ Boyle, John (October 25, 2021). "Seahawks Activate RB Rashaad Penny From IR; Elevate QB Jake Luton From Practice Squad". Seahawks.com. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  31. ^ "Seattle Seahawks at Houston Texans - December 12th, 2021". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  32. ^ "Chicago Bears at Seattle Seahawks - December 26th, 2021". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  33. ^ "Detroit Lions at Seattle Seahawks - January 2nd, 2022". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  34. ^ "2021 NFL Week 17 Leaders & Scores". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  35. ^ "Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals - January 9th, 2022". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  36. ^ Condotta, Bob; Jude, Adam (January 9, 2022). "Rashaad Penny continues surge, hopes to be 'back home' with Seahawks". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  37. ^ "2021 NFL Leaders and Leaderboards". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  38. ^ Bergman, Jeremy (March 20, 2022). "Rashaad Penny returns to Seahawks on one-year deal worth up to $6.5M". NFL.com. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  39. ^ "Seattle Seahawks at Detroit Lions - October 2nd, 2022". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  40. ^ Boyle, John (October 14, 2022). "Seahawks Place RB Rashaad Penny On Injured Reserve". Seahawks.com. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  41. ^ Spadaro, Dave (March 15, 2023). "Rashaad Penny adds a different dimension to the backfield". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  42. ^ Erby, Glenn (July 24, 2023). "Eagles planning RB-by-committee approach to replacing Miles Sanders". Eagles Wire. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  43. ^ "Panthers agree to terms with Rashaad Penny". Panthers.com. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  44. ^ Gantt, Darin (July 30, 2024). "Panthers place running back Rashaad Penny on reserve/retired". Panthers.com. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  45. ^ Odegard, Kyle (March 1, 2018). "Penny brothers carry rich genes". Arizona Cardinals. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  46. ^ Kenney, Kirk (August 27, 2017). "Patience, perseverance pay off for Aztecs running back Rashaad Penny". The San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  47. ^ Root, Jess (March 12, 2018). "Cards RB Penny inspires younger brother through draft process". USA Today. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  48. ^ Benton, Dan (November 28, 2022). "Ex-Giant Elijhaa Penney announces retirement from NFL". USA Today. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
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