The 2022 NFL season has literally only just finished. But time waits for no man, with teams already beginning to look at how their 2023 rosters will take shape. One important piece of business that will need to be taken care of is fifth-year options. Since 2011, all players taken in the first round of the NFL have a clause in their contract in which their team has the right to sign them to a fifth season. This tool is generally used to give both sides a chance to work out a longer-term deal. The option needs to be exercised in May before their fourth year, meaning the clock is officially ticking on the 2020 class.
Here, I take a look at the skill position players this applies to heading into the 2023 offseason. The players fall into three main categories, broken down between “Yes,” “No,” and “Don’t Know.” For those who value hard-hitting analysis, don’t worry. There are not that many “don’t knows” here. Let’s begin, as the Bengals did in 2020, at the very top of the draft.
