NFL teams had until May 2 to decide if they wanted to pick up the fifth-year option on players selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft. For some teams, such as the Bengals (WR Ja’Marr Chase) or the Cowboys (LB Micah Parsons), those decisions were easy.
For the Washington Commanders, it was easy, too. Linebacker Jamin Davis has shown flashes over the past two seasons after a tough rookie season, but not enough to justify picking up his fifth-year option. The Commanders declined Davis’ option ahead of the 2024 NFL draft.
Additionally, Washington has a new general manager (Adam Peters) and head coach (Dan Quinn) who did not draft Davis. While Quinn and his coaching staff are far more likely to help Davis improve than the previous staff, he hasn’t done nearly enough to justify Washington picking up at that option.
In total, 18 of 32 first-round picks from 2021 had their fifth-year options picked up. Some players have already signed extensions. There were five quarterbacks drafted in the first round; only the 2021 No. 1 overall pick, Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars), had his option picked up. The other four have already been traded.
The new rookie wage scale began in 2011, the first year that first-round picks had a fifth-year option. Washington selected Ryan Kerrigan in the first round that year, and he went on to become the franchise’s all-time sack leader. We look at the Commanders’ history with the fifth-year options—the results are mixed.