Teams need to decide whether to pick up the fifth year options on players selected in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
First round picks receive four year contracts. These deals come with a team option for a fifth year, but the team must decide whether or not to exercise it between the player’s third and fourth seasons. If picked up, the option is fully guaranteed. The salary amount is determined by many factors including position, playing time, and Pro Bowls made.
The Jets have chosen to pick
up the fifth year option of defensive end Will McDonald.
This move isn’t a surprise from the standpoint that Darren Mougey suggested in multiple recent press conferences that the Jets were likely to exercise McDonald’s fifth year option.
It is a bit of a surprise to me, however, that the Jets are all right with paying McDonald $13.75 million after bringing in three players at the same position this offseason. The team signed Joseph Ossai and Kingsley Enagbare in free agency and picked David Bailey second overall in the NFL Draft. These moves will likely lead to a reduction in playing time for McDonald, potentially relegating him to a part-time role on passing downs. Evidently the Jets still feel McDonald has enough value to keep at that price.
It flew under the radar, but the Jets had a second decision on the fifth year option. It was for a player they did not originally pick in the NFL Draft, Mazi Smith. Smith was picked by the Dallas Cowboys in 2023 and was sent to New York as part of the Quinnen Williams trade as a throw in. The Jets inherited his contract and the fifth year option decision with it. Smith has not established himself as a major NFL contributor. In fact his roster spot doesn’t even appear to be guaranteed at this point so it should come as little surprise that the Jets declined his option.
Smith is now set to become a free agent after the 2026 season.
