5 NFL teams who will regret not picking up the fifth-year option for 2021

The Atlanta Falcons face a critical year in their organization. After back-to-back seasons of 7-9 B.S., Atlanta must get over .500 and fight for a playoff spot for head coach Dan Quinn, and maybe even general manager Thomas Dimitroff to keep their jobs. Their moves this offseason have been hit and miss, but we have to wonder why the Dirty Birds didn’t use the fifth-year option at all

Atlanta has a pair of former 2017 first-round pass rushers in Takkarist McKinley and Charles Harris. The Falcons traded up to No. 26 to draft McKinley out of UCLA. While he hasn’t been anything close to a Pro Bowl-level talent, not giving him the fifth-year option seems like a bit of an overreaction for things not working out with Vic Beasley a season ago.

At his peak, Beasley was a First-Team All-Pro for the Falcons, leading the league in sacks as a second-year player in 2016. Though he never eclipsed 10 sacks in a season again, Atlanta let him walk to the Tennessee Titans for nothing this offseason. Is his replacement Dante Fowler Jr. better than him? Yes, but it seems Dimitroff doesn’t understand the value of the pass-rushing market.

While not giving the fifth-year option to former Miami Dolphins bust Harris makes sense, why would you not want to encourage McKinley to have the best offseason of his career by believing in him enough to give him that fifth-year? Though a one-year trial with Harris makes sense, Atlanta may not be able to afford McKinley if he does have a breakout season in year four out of UCLA.