Footrest assembly for a passenger seat having a saddle (22) and a post (16) pivotally coupled to a fastener (38) connected to the saddle. A ratcheting mechanism (86) with at least one tooth (88) is positioned on a first end (20) of the post and a pawl (90) is pivotally coupled to a pawl shaft (98) fixedly coupled to the saddle. A cam follower (96) is pivotally coupled to the fastener and positioned within a slot (106) formed in the end of the post in order to prevent the pawl from engaging with a tooth while pivoting in a direction of a fully deployed position of the assembly.