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NFL fifth-year options: Who's trending up and down entering 2024 season
For some 2022 first-round NFL Draft picks, the upcoming 2024 season is particularly important.
While a select few should already be locks to have their fifth-year options picked up, others need big seasons for their teams to commit to a fifth year before the May 2025 deadline.
Notable players who have likely already secured their 2026 contract include Lions edge Aidan Hutchinson, Jets cornerback Ahmad Gardner and wide receiver Garrett Wilson, Saints wide receiver Chris Olave, Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton and Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie.
Here's a look at 10 more trending in opposite directions heading into their pivotal third NFL seasons.
Note: Each player's draft position is listed in parentheses.
TRENDING UP
(1) EDGE Travon Walker, Jaguars: 2022's No. 1 overall pick, Walker corrected course after a rocky first season in the league. The former Georgia Bulldog had 10 sacks in 2023 after recording 3.5 as a rookie. He also had 10 tackles for loss, five more than in 2022.
(3) Cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., Texans: Last year, Stingley had five interceptions and only allowed 23 completions on 48 targets (47.9%), per Pro Football Reference data. Injuries are the one thing holding him back; Stingley has only been available in 55.6% of Houston's games (including postseason) during his first two years in the league.
(8) Wide receiver Drake London, Falcons: London's gotten off to a slower start than Wilson and Olave, wideouts selected after him, but he could be due for a breakout after the Falcons added quarterback Kirk Cousins.
(22) Linebacker Quay Walker, Packers: Walker entered 2023 under scrutiny after a pair of ugly altercations on opposing sidelines as a rookie. Walker was ejected twice for making physical contact with opponent staff members, but he matured in Year 2, only hitting opponents in league-sanctioned areas. He led Green Bay in tackles (118) in 2023 and also had a 37-yard interception return for a touchdown.
(27) Linebacker Devin Lloyd, Jaguars: Lloyd emerged as one of the league's best run-defending linebackers in 2023. Per Pro Football Focus, he posted the fourth-highest run-defense grade among linebackers last season and was credited with 28 stops, which PFF defines as "tackles that constitute a 'failure' for the offense."
TRENDING DOWN
(12) Wide receiver Jameson Williams, Lions: The former Alabama speedster effectively red-shirted as a rookie, only making one reception on nine targets in six games after tearing his ACL in the January 2022 College Football Playoff national championship game.
Last season should have been his breakout, but Williams was suspended four games for violating the league's gambling policy and only had 24 receptions, 354 yards and two touchdowns in 12 regular season appearances (10 starts). Williams was also quiet in the postseason, finishing Detroit's three-game run with six receptions, 79 yards and one touchdown.
(16) Wide receiver Jahan Dotson, Commanders: The second-year wideout regressed in Year 2, averaging fewer yards per reception and yards per game than he did as a rookie despite making 14 more receptions and playing a higher percentage of Washington's offensive snaps.
(19) Offensive tackle Trevor Penning, Saints: Perhaps a change of scenery will do Penning some good. No, we're not talking about New Orleans already parting with its second 2022 first-round pick. Instead, the team's decision to shift Penning to right tackle after beginning his career on the left side could be what he needs to get on track. If not, Penning, who was benched after five games in 2023, probably will have another NFL home in 2026, or maybe sooner.
(20) Quarterback Kenny Pickett, Eagles: It feels like a foregone conclusion that Pickett will be a 2026 free agent. The Eagles signed quarterback Jalen Hurts to a five-year, $255M extension in April 2023, effectively excluding them from picking up Pickett's option. Already discarded by the Steelers, Pickett likely isn't done playing franchise music chairs.
(23) Cornerback Kaiir Elam, Bills: An ankle injury made Elam a non-factor in 2023, limiting him to three games (two starts) after appearing in 13 games and recording two interceptions as a rookie. He's listed as a backup on ESPN's unofficial Bills depth chart, and if he doesn't emerge as a starter in 2024, it will be hard for Buffalo to justify his fifth-year option.
More must-reads:
- Projecting the NFL award winners for the 2024-25 season
- Watch: 'Hard Knocks' shows preparation for NFL news conference
- The 'NFL AP Offensive Rookie of the Year' quiz
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