Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The deadline for fifth-year options on 2023 first-round draft picks closed Friday, reshaping rosters across the league.
- Stars like C.J. Stroud and Jahmyr Gibbs had options exercised. Others, like Anthony Richardson and Tyree Wilson, were declined or traded after early struggles.
- These choices dictate future salary caps and roster stability. Exercising an option secures a core talent, while declining one often signals a draft bust.
I do not envy NFL general managers. Three years after drafting their first-round picks, they have to choose whether or not they want to exercise their fifth-year options and pay them guaranteed money for a fifth season on their rookie contract.
Some players make it an easy decision because they’re awesome and they get better and better… Other guys are the Offensive Rookie of the Year and then spend their next two seasons getting worse and worse until they choke and die during the divisional round of the playoffs. GMs have to decide if those guys are worth keeping.
It would be cool if this whole thing were straightforward, but it’s not. Luckily, OverTheCap.com exists. They keep track of the projections for every player.
There are a couple of things to know when it comes to fifth-year options:
1. There are four tiers for what players get paid, and that pay varies by position. There’s a tier for players who are multi-year Pro Bowlers, a tier for players who are single-year Pro Bowlers, a tier for players who have met playtime benchmarks, and a tier for players who don’t qualify for any of the other tiers.
2. The window for teams to exercise their 2023 first-rounder’s fifth-year options opened on January 5th (the day after the end of the season) and closed on Friday, May 1st.
This is every first-round pick from the 2023 draft (the Dolphins didn’t have a first-round pick, so there are only 31 picks), whether they had their option exercised, and a little bit of an explanation for why or why not.
No. 1: Bryce Young, QB, Carolina Panthers
The Panthers exercised Bryce Young’s fifth-year option on Apr. 29, so he’ll be getting paid $26.5 million in 2027. It’s been a slow roll for Young over the past few seasons, but he’s starting to look like he might be real.
The problem is that he looks good for like three drives every game… And he looks overwhelmed in just about every other drive. If he can keep that slow roll going, he’ll be looking good for five drives per game by the time we get to 2027. You can win lots of games if you have five dynamite drives every game.
No. 2: C.J. Stroud, QB, Houston Texans
The Texans exercised C.J. Stroud’s fifth-year option on Apr. 8, so he’ll be getting paid $25.9 million in 2027. This is gross, but the Texans really had no choice but to do it.
No. 3: Will Anderson Jr., EDGE, Houston Texans
The Texans exercised Will Anderson Jr.’s fifth-year option and gave him a three-year extension on Apr. 8. He’s getting paid a cool $50 million per year. You have to think they exercised Stroud first and then chased it with Anderson. It’d be like taking a bar rag shot and then chasing it with a Coke from McDonald's: absolutely vile and then ecstasy.
No. 4: Anthony Richardson, QB, Indianapolis Colts
The Colts did not exercise Anthony Richardson’s fifth-year option. It turns out that everyone who said, ‘He didn’t play enough in college to be a top-10 pick,’ was super right.
Pop Quiz: Which stat line was from college, and which one was from the NFL?
A. 215-of-393
B. 177-of-350
The top one is from college. The Colts spent the fourth overall pick on a guy who completed just 54.7 percent of his throws in college… and then they bailed on him after two years. Very dumb.
No. 5: Devon Witherspoon, CB, Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks exercised Devon Witherspoon’s fifth-year option on Mar. 20, so he’ll be getting paid $21.1 million in 2027.
He rocks, so you’ve got to think that he’s going to get handed a mondo-sized contract here before too awful long.
No. 6: Paris Johnson Jr., OT, Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals exercised Paris Johnson Jr.’s fifth-year extension on Apr. 16, so he’s going to get paid $19.7 million in 2027. It was a no-brainer for Monti Ossenfort to exercise Johnson’s option… Unfortunately, it might have created some muscle memory because he kept not using his brain during the draft when he used the third overall pick to draft Jeremiyah Love.
No. 7: Tyree Wilson, DE, Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders did not exercise Tyree Wilson’s fifth-year option. As a matter of fact, they traded him and a seventh-round pick to the Saints for a fifth-round pick (150th overall) during the draft. That’s rough.
No. 8: Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons exercised Bijan Robinson’s fifth-year option on Apr. 10, so he’ll be getting paid $11.3 million in 2027.
It’s hard to make sense of anything Atlanta does with their roster. Will they give him a big-boy contract? Or will they do the thing that football nerds like and franchise tag him because he’s a running back? Or maybe a third option that doesn’t make any sense…
Probably the third option because they’re a weird franchise.
No. 9: Jalen Carter, DT, Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles exercised Jalen Carter’s fifth-year option on Apr. 27, so he’s going to get paid a massive $27.1 million in 2027. Howie Roseman is the kind of cat who will give him a contract before then that spreads that money out a little bit. #DakSpitFirst
No. 10: Darnell Wright, OT, Chicago Bears
The Bears exercised Darnell Wright’s fifth-year option on Apr. 20, so he’s going to get paid $19 million in 2027. Remember when the Bears had a terrible offensive line in 2024? Now it’s one of the best in the NFL, and Wright is a big part of that.
No. 11: Peter Skoronski, G, Tennessee Titans
The Titans exercised Peter Skoronski’s fifth-year option on Apr. 18, so he’s going to get paid $19 million in 2027. Prediction: He’s going to be an All-Pro in either 2026 or 2027.
No. 12: Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions
The Lions exercised Jahmyr Gibbs’ fifth-year option on Apr. 28, so he’s going to get paid $14.3 million in 2027. This is what you do with first-round running backs… especially if they are the most fun player in the NFL.
No. 13: Lukas Van Ness, EDGE, Green Bay Packers
The Packers exercised Lukas Van Ness’s fifth-year option on Apr. 30, so he’s going to get paid $13.7 million in 2027. He missed a whole bunch of time in 2025 because of a foot injury, but he did come back at the end of the season. There’s going to be a whole lot of weight on his shoulders this season with Micah Parsons missing time. If he can hold up, he’ll have a solid paycheck coming his way.
No. 14: Broderick Jones, T, Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers did not exercise Broderick Jones’ fifth-year option. He missed a bunch of time in 2025 because of a neck injury… And also, he’s not all that good. So, yeah. This was never really a question.
No. 15: Will McDonald IV, DE, New York Jets
The Jets exercised Will McDonald’s fifth-year option on Apr. 29, so he’s going to get paid $13.7 million in 2027. He had some kind of knee injury near the end of the season that landed him on the IR.
Was it actually a bad injury, or was it one of those ‘It’s Week 16. We’re in contention for a top-three draft pick, so let’s not play our best players’ kind of things? I imagine it was the latter. He’s been one of the better players on that defense over the past two seasons, so this was a great move.
No. 16: Emmanuel Forbes, CB, Washington Commanders
The Commanders didn’t exercise Emmanuel Forbes’ fifth-year option. It would’ve been really hard for them to do that since they waived him in the middle of the 2024 season because he was really bad.
The Rams picked him up, and he was a lot better for them. But the dude is six feet tall and 173 pounds… His body isn’t exactly the prototype that you want in an NFL cornerback. To make up for being that kind of a pipsqueak, you had better be able to cover every soul that walks on the field. That’s not Forbes’ game.
No. 17: Christian Gonzalez, CB, New England Patriots
The Patriots exercised Christian Gonzalez’s fifth-year option on Apr. 28, so he’s going to get paid $18.1 million in 2027. That makes all the sense in the world because when he’s healthy, he’s one of the five best cornerbacks in the NFL. Getting that extra year for cheap is just as smart as it is insulting to the Commanders, who drafted Emmanuel Forbes the pick before him.
No. 18: Jack Campbell, LB, Detroit Lions
The Lions did not exercise Jack Campbell’s fifth-year option, nor should they have. All linebackers, inside and off-ball, fall under the same umbrella. So even though edge rushers are infinitely more valuable than ILBs, you would be paying edge rusher money to an ILB. That’s a bad idea, hoss.
No. 19: Calijah Kancey, DT, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs exercised Calijah Kancey’s fifth-year option on Apr. 27, so he’s going to get paid $14.5 million in 2027. He only played in three games in 2025 because he tore his pec. He did come back for the Week 17 game, so at least it’s not a situation where they’re giving guaranteed money to a guy whose health is a question mark.
No. 20: Jaxson Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks exercised Jaxson Smith-Njigba’s fifth-year option on Mar. 20, and three days later, they gave him a four-year contract for $168 million. He’s amazing and just capped off an awesome season with a Super Bowl win. Honestly, I’m kind of surprised it took them until March to do it. I would’ve thought they would have had him sign the papers during the Super Bowl parade.
No. 21: Quentin Johnston, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers did not exercise Quentin Johnston’s fifth-year option… But do you remember the first four weeks of last season when he had 22 catches for 337 yards and four touchdowns? That was cool.
No. 22: Zay Flowers, WR, Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens exercised Zay Flowers’ fifth-year option on Apr. 23, so he’s going to get paid $27.2 million. That’s what you do when you draft a guy who is your franchise's first-ever Pro Bowl wide receiver.
No. 23: Jordan Addison, WR, Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings exercised Jordan Addison’s fifth-year option on Apr. 27, so he’s going to get paid $18 million in 2027. Is paying your WR2 that much guaranteed money a good idea? Probably not, but those are the decisions you make when you’re a team without a general manager.
No. 24: Deonte Banks, CB, New York Giants
The Giants did not exercise Deonte Banks’ fifth-year option. Not only did he lose his job to Cor’Dale Flott last season, but New York also signed Greg Newsom in free agency this offseason. You’d rather not have to make those kinds of moves just to keep a first-round pick off the field.
No. 25: Dalton Kincaid, TE, Buffalo Bills
The Bills exercised Dalton Kincaid’s fifth-year option on Mar. 30, so he’s going to get paid $8.1 million in 2027. It makes sense. The passing game on that offense goes through the tight ends, and he’s the best one that they have. If you’re not going to get your quarterback a good wide receiver, you might as well make sure the good tight ends stick around as long as possible.
No. 26: Mazi Smith, DT, Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys didn’t exercise Mazi Smith’s fifth-year option because he’s not on the team. The Jets sent Quinnen Williams to Dallas in exchange for Smith, a 2026 second-round pick and a 2027 first-round pick to New York.
It was still a bad trade by Dallas, but at least they were able to move on from a guy who wasn’t working out for them.
No. 27: Anton Harrison, OT, Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars exercised Anton Harrison’s fifth-year option on Apr. 20, so he’s going to get paid $19 million in 2027. He played over 1,000 snaps last season and only allowed one sack (per PFF). If you get an offensive tackle who’s that effective, you keep him around.
No. 28: Myles Murphy, DE, Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals did not exercise Myles Murphy’s fifth-year option. When in doubt, the best bet is to blindly assume that Duke Tobin and the Bengals made a bad decision.
Last season, Murphy led the team in sacks, and that defense was terrible. I think they probably should’ve exercised the option purely because he was the sack leader, and the $14.4 million that he would make in 2027 is going to end up being pennies.
It really seems like one of those guys that’s going to hit free agency and then be dynamite on whatever team ends up signing him.
No. 29: Bryan Bresee, DT, New Orleans Saints
The Saints exercised Bryan Bresee’s fifth-year option on Apr. 8, so he’s going to get paid $13.9 million in 2027. In 2024, he was a solid disruptor against the pass but not great against the run. In 2025, he was solid against the run but not great at disrupting the pass. $13.9 million isn’t a bad price tag if you’re hoping a guy can put it all together.
No. 30: Nolan Smith, EDGE, Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles exercised Nolan Smith’s fifth-year option on Apr. 27, so he’s going to get paid $13.7 million in 2027. Smith was a game wrecker during the Eagles' Super Bowl run in 2024, but that’s kind of been an outlier for him.
If Smith can get (and stay) healthy, he’ll give himself a chance to put together a real season. If he can do that, $13.7 million is going to be a steal… but that’s a big “if” because his playstyle doesn’t exactly mesh well with staying healthy.
No. 31: Felix Anudike-Uzomah, DE, Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs didn’t exercise Felix Anudike-Uzomah’s fifth-year option. He hurt his hamstring in the preseason last year and went on IR for the entire season. If he was a force of nature in his first two seasons, you could maybe talk yourself into that fifth year, but he just wasn’t.
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