As the NFL’s cyclical calendar continues to roll on, its next important date is the deadline for teams to pick up their 2023 first-round picks' fifth-year options—which is Friday, May 1.
What’s a fifth-year option, you ask? It’s a contract mechanism that allows teams to bring back players for one more season following their rookie deals. While all drafted players sign four-year contracts, first-round picks automatically come with this fifth-year team option attached. Teams are allowed to exercise the fifth-year option following the conclusion of a player’s third NFL season, and have until early May—in this year’s case, May 1—to decide whether or not they’ll do so.
