Players selected in the first round of an NFL draft have a built-in clause in their contracts that allows their team to exercise a fifth-year option.
This offseason, teams who picked a player in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft can exercise a fifth-year contract option for the 2024 season. For the Denver Broncos, that applies to wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, who was picked 15th overall out of Alabama in 2020.
Teams have until May 1 to make a decision on fifth-year options, and the Broncos aren’t rushing their decision.
“Really happy with how Jerry finished off the season, especially the last couple of games,” general manager George Paton said at the combine last week. “We make those decisions, I believe in May, right near the draft. We’ll make that decision [around then]. Really happy with where Jerry is at.”
Picking up Jeudy’s option would cost the team just $12,987,000 in 2024 salary cap space, which is a bargain for a top receiver in today’s market. Jeudy, 23, is coming off a career year in which he totaled 67 receptions for 972 yards and six touchdowns in 2022.
Exercising the fifth-year option should be an easy decision for Denver, so waiting until closer to the deadline is likely just a formality.
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