The deadline for teams to pick up options is May 1
By Jared Dubin Apr 23, 2026 at 10:23 am ET • 1 min read 
Imagn Images The first round of the 2023 NFL Draft was a fascinating one. There were a trio of quarterbacks selected in the top four picks, with Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson all coming off the board early. There were stars that were found both early (Will Anderson Jr., Devon Witherspoon, Jalen Carter, Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs) and later (Christian Gonzalez, Jaxon Smith-Njigba) in the first round, at positions considered both premium and not. And of course, there were plenty of whiffs as well.
Three years after these players had their dreams come true on draft day, their teams are now in a position where they have to decide on their futures. All first-round contracts are guaranteed for four seasons, but they also contain an option for the team to extend the player a fifth year, also fully guaranteed. And the decision on whether to do so has to be made by May 1, 2026.
In the space below, we're going to track each of the first-round draft picks by whether they had their option picked up or declined, or whether they signed a contract extension with their team. As a reminder, there were only 31 picks in the first round of the 2023 draft because the Miami Dolphins forfeited their selection as punishment for violations of the league's anti-tampering policy.
Fifth-year option tracker
PickPlayer (team)TeamFifth-year option decisionProjected contract1Bryce Young
PanthersPicked up
$25.9 million
2C.J. Stroud
TexansPicked up
$25.9 million
3Will Anderson Jr.
TexansExtended
3 years, $150 million
4Anthony Richardson
ColtsTBD
$22.4 million
5Devon Witherspoon
SeahawksPicked up
$21.2 million
6CardinalsPicked up
$19.1 million
7RaidersTBD
$14.5 million
8Bijan Robinson
FalconsPicked up
$11.3 million
9Jalen Carter
EaglesTBD
$27.1 million
10BearsTBD
$19.1 million
11TitansTBD
$19.1 million
12Jahmyr Gibbs
LionsTBD
$14.3 million
13PackersTBD
$13.8 million
14SteelersTBD
$19.1 million
15JetsTBD
$13.8 million
16RamsTBD
$12.6 million
17Christian Gonzalez
PatriotsTBD
$18.1 million
18LionsTBD
$21.9 million
19BuccaneersTBD
$14.5 million
20Jaxon Smith-Njigba
SeahawksExtended
4 years, $168.6 million
21ChargersTBD
$18.0 million
22RavensPicked up
$27.3 million
23VikingsPicked up
$18.0 million
24GiantsTBD
$12.6 million
25BillsPicked up
$8.2 million
26JetsTBD
$13.9 million
27JaguarsPicked up
$19.1 million
28BengalsTBD
$14.5 million
29Bryan BreseeSaintsPicked up$13.9 million30Nolan SmithEaglesTBD$13.8 million31Felix Anudike-UzomahChiefsTBD$14.5 million Join the Conversation comments
