The deadline for NFL teams to pick up fifth-year options on the rookie contracts of 2021 first-round draft picks has passed. Teams have decided whether or not to keep those players for a fifth season.
Some teams chose to sign players — like Eagles WR DeVonta Smith — to contract extensions; others simply picked up or declined the option.
Below, we tracked all of the picked-up and declined options for the 2021 class.
What is a fifth-year option?
According to OverTheCap.com, the 2020 collective bargaining agreement allows teams to exercise a fifth-year option for players drafted in the first round as an addition to the standard four-year rookie contract. Upon being exercised, the fifth-year option is fully guaranteed, and any base salary in the player’s fourth year that was not fully guaranteed will become so. The fifth-year salary is calculated based on four tiers: Basic, playing time, one Pro Bowl and multiple Pro Bowls.
The 2021 first-round draft class
The Jaguars have picked up Lawrence’s fifth-year option — though the team could sign Lawrence to a long-term extension before the QB even hits his fifth season. Lawrence has thrown for 11,770 yards and 58 touchdowns in his three seasons with the Jaguars. He will earn an estimated $25.7 million in 2025.
The Broncos have declined Wilson’s fifth-year option after acquiring him from the Jets in April. The Jets and Broncos are splitting the $5.5 million Wilson is due this season, with each team paying $2.75 million.t
The Cowboys have declined to pick up the fifth-year option on Lance. That decision was essentially made last August when the Cowboys acquired Lance from the 49ers for a 2024 fourth-round pick. Had the Cowboys picked up the option, it would have cost $22.4 million, been fully guaranteed and been at odds with the club’s stated preference to keep Dak Prescott after 2024.
The Falcons have picked up Pitts’ option. That carries a guaranteed salary of $10.878 million for 2025. Pitts was named to the Pro Bowl in his rookie season. He had 68 receptions for 1,026 yards and a touchdown that year. In 2022, a torn MCL ended Pitts’ season in Week 11. Pitts started all but two games in 2023, catching 53 passes for 667 yards and three touchdowns on a team that had “deficient” quarterback play, according to Falcons owner Arthur Blank.
The Bengals have announced they will pick up Chase’s fifth-year option. In his three years with the Bengals, Chase has caught 268 passes for 3,717 yards and 29 touchdowns, with an average of 13.9 yards per reception. Chase’s fifth-year option is valued at $21.9 million, according to Over The Cap.
The Dolphins will exercise the fifth-year option for wide receiver Waddle. He was an immediate success in his debut season, setting an NFL rookie record with 104 catches. He has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in each season, and his 251 career receptions are the 12th most for a player in his first three seasons.
Sewell is signing a four-year, $112 million deal, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Sewell’s contract includes $85 million guaranteed, the source told Schefter, the most for an offensive lineman, according to ESPN Stats & Information. The $28 million annual average salary in his contract is also the largest for an offensive lineman. The Lions also picked up Sewell’s fifth-year option when they extended his contract.
The Panthers will exercise the option on Horn to lock him down through the 2025 season. Horn is projected to make $12.5 million in 2025.
The Broncos have picked up the fifth-year option on the Pro Bowl cornerback. Because he has been selected for two Pro Bowls in his first three seasons, Surtain is eligible for a fifth-year option that projects to be a fully guaranteed $18.65 million for the 2025 season.
The Eagles and Smith have agreed to a three-year extension that ties the wide receiver to the team through the 2028 season. Terms were not disclosed, but a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the contract is worth $75 million, with $51 million guaranteed. The team also exercised Smith’s fifth-year option, which will pay him a salary of around $16 million for the 2025 campaign.
The Steelers are not picking up Fields’ $25 million fifth-year option, league sources told ESPN’s Schefter. Fields was traded to the Steelers by the Bears in March for a conditional sixth-round pick.
The Cowboys have officially picked up Parsons’ fifth-year option for 2025 at a cost of $21.324 million, a source told ESPN’s Todd Archer. The price is determined by the position where he took the most snaps in 2023, which was defensive end. Ultimately, the team hopes to sign Parsons to long-term deal.
The Chargers have picked up the fifth-year option for the Pro Bowl left tackle. The move comes days after the team selected OT Joe Alt with the No. 5 overall pick, an indication that the Chargers plan to play the two together long-term.
General manager Joe Douglas confirmed the Jets will pick up Vera-Tucker’s fifth-year option.
The Jaguars are not picking up Jones’ fifth-year option after acquiring him this offseason from the Patriots for a 2024 sixth-round pick. Jones is expected to compete with C.J. Beathard to be Trevor Lawrence’s primary backup.
The Cardinals are declining Collins’ fifth-year option for the 2025 season, general manager Monti Ossenfort told Arizona Sports’ “Burns & Gambo” on Tuesday. Collins has 166 tackles, 5.5 sacks and 2 interceptions in three seasons.
Leatherwood was waived by the Raiders in 2022 and is currently a free agent.
The Dolphins will exercise the linebacker’s fifth-year option. Phillips set a Dolphins rookie record with 8.5 sacks in 2021 and followed it with a seven-sack campaign in 2022. He played only eight games last season before an Achilles tendon tear landed him on injured reserve, but he was on pace for a career-high 14 sacks.
The Commanders have declined Davis’ fifth-year option. He started 36 games for the Commanders in the past three years. In March of 2022, Davis was charged with reckless driving after he was allegedly clocked going 114 mph in a 45 mph zone in Loudoun County, Virginia. He avoided jail time but had his license revoked for six months. Davis is coming off his most productive season, with 3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 4 passes defensed and 8 tackles for loss.
The Chiefs have declined Toney’s fifth-year option. Toney was traded from the Giants to the Chiefs in 2022. He has caught 82 receptions for 760 yards and three touchdowns over three seasons.
The Colts have exercised Paye’s fifth-year option that is estimated at $13.4 million for 2025. There was some uncertainty about what the Colts would decide after using the 15th pick in the draft on former UCLA defensive end Laiatu Latu. But Paye is coming off a career-high 8.5 sacks last season and has been a very effective run-stopper for Indy, making him an ideal strongside edge defender.
The Titans are declining the fifth-year option on the cornerback. This was expected after Farley played 12 games (with two starts) since 2021.
The Vikings have exercised the fifth-year option on Darrisaw. In 2023, he ranked 37th in pass rush win rate (87.3%) among all tackles.
The Steelers have declined the fifth-year option on Harris, giving him the ability to become an unrestricted free agent after this season. Steelers are not ruling out a deal later on, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Harris, 26, is the first player in Steelers history to rush for 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons.
Jaguars GM Trent Baalke confirmed the team is picking up Etienne’s fifth-year option. Etienne has rushed for 2,133 yards with 16 touchdowns with the Jaguars over the past two seasons. He missed his rookie season with a Lisfranc injury to his foot. Etienne’s salary is estimated at $6.14 million for 2025.
The Browns have picked up Newsome’s fifth-year option. He had two interceptions last season and has 128 career tackles.
Bateman reached a two-year extension with the Ravens, which keeps the former first-round pick in Baltimore through the 2026 season, the team announced. Bateman made team history, becoming the Ravens’ first first-round wide receiver to sign a second contract with Baltimore.
Per ESPN’s Field Yates, Bateman is set to earn a base value of $15.25 million over the next three seasons. He has an additional escalator for 2026 of $1.5 million that brings the maximum value of the deal to $16.75 million.
Turner’s option was not picked up by the Saints. He has played in 15 games over three seasons, registering 28 total tackles and three sacks.
The Packers have declined to pick up Stokes’ fifth-year option. He has battled injuries for most of the past two seasons. However, this doesn’t mean the end for Stokes in Green Bay. The Packers still have high hopes for him.
The Bills picked up Rousseau’s fifth-year option. General manager Brandon Beane said at the annual league meetings in March that he didn’t “see any reason why we wouldn’t do it.” Rousseau, who turned 24 in April, has developed into a consistent starter for the Bills with 13 combined sacks over the past two seasons and is coming off a career high in pressures and quarterback hits.
The Ravens have picked up the fifth-year option for the outside linebacker. Oweh will make $13.251 million in 2025. He has 13 sacks in his first three seasons.
The Bucs are not picking up the outside linebacker’s fifth-year option. The team has drafted three outside linebackers in 2023-24, including using a second-round pick on Chris Braswell last week, and a third-round pick on YaYa Diaby last year.