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May 1st marked the deadline for the NFL teams to exercise the fifth-year contract options on the first-round selections from the 2022 NFL Draft. Of the 32 picks from that draft, 13 wound up not having their fifth-round options picked up by teams.
There are different reasons why a team refuses to pick up the option, not all of which deal with dissatisfaction with the player's performance. The positional values for the options are detrimental to interior offensive linemen and off-ball linebackers, lumping them with their far more expensive perimeter counterparts. But in general, the options are declined because the team doesn't see the player as worthy of the fifth-year option contract values.
Players who are traded or waived and claimed still have fifth-year options, but they are subject to the new team picking up those options. As an example, Kenny Pickett is now on his third team since being the No. 20 overall pick, but his contract still had the fifth-year option — which the Browns declined to exercise.
The fifth-year options from the draft class of 2022 that were not exercised, with the drafting team:
The list does not include the 32nd pick, Lewis Cine, because the Minnesota safety had his contract terminated. No. 3 overall pick Derek Stingley already signed a contract extension with the Texans, too.
All the players listed above will now be free agents following the 2025 NFL season. They all remain eligible for contract extensions.
This article originally appeared on Draft Wire: Fifth-year option tracker for the first-round NFL draft class of 2022
Continue reading...
There are different reasons why a team refuses to pick up the option, not all of which deal with dissatisfaction with the player's performance. The positional values for the options are detrimental to interior offensive linemen and off-ball linebackers, lumping them with their far more expensive perimeter counterparts. But in general, the options are declined because the team doesn't see the player as worthy of the fifth-year option contract values.
Players who are traded or waived and claimed still have fifth-year options, but they are subject to the new team picking up those options. As an example, Kenny Pickett is now on his third team since being the No. 20 overall pick, but his contract still had the fifth-year option — which the Browns declined to exercise.
The fifth-year options from the draft class of 2022 that were not exercised, with the drafting team:
- 7 - Evan Neal, OL, Giants
- 15 - Kenyon Green, OL, Texans
- 16 - Jahan Dotson, WR, Commanders
- 17 - Zion Johnson, OL, Chargers
- 18 - Treylon Burks, WR, Titans
- 19 - Trevor Penning, OL, Saints
- 20 - Kenny Pickett, QB, Eagles
- 22 - Quay Walker, LB, Packers
- 23 - Kaiir Elam, CB, Bills
- 25 - Tyler Linderbaum, OL, Ravens
- 27 - Devin Lloyd, LB, Jaguars
- 29 - Cole Strange, OL, Patriots
The list does not include the 32nd pick, Lewis Cine, because the Minnesota safety had his contract terminated. No. 3 overall pick Derek Stingley already signed a contract extension with the Texans, too.
All the players listed above will now be free agents following the 2025 NFL season. They all remain eligible for contract extensions.
This article originally appeared on Draft Wire: Fifth-year option tracker for the first-round NFL draft class of 2022
Continue reading...
