With the NFL’s May 2 fifth-year option deadline looming, three AFC North squads have big decisions to make over the next few weeks. The Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Cincinnati Bengals need to determine whether or not they want to guarantee big base salaries to their respective 2019 first-round picks — Marquise Brown, Devin Bush, and Jonah Williams — ahead of the league deadline. Those salaries would become fully guaranteed upon the option being exercised this offseason.
Predicting fifth-year option decisions for AFC North
Unlike the Ravens, Steelers, and Bengals, the Cleveland Browns don’t need to worry about picking up the fifth-year option on a player. The Browns traded their 2019 first-round pick to the New York Giants in a blockbuster deal that saw them acquire wideout Odell Beckham Jr. Below are the fifth-year option predictions for the rest of the AFC North.
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NFC East | NFC North | AFC East
Baltimore Ravens
Fifth-year option: WR Marquise “Hollywood” Brown
Prediction: Exercised
Brown is an ascending talent who continues to get better with experience. The Ravens’ top wideout is coming off his first 1,000-yard season, and he has already produced 21 receiving touchdowns in just three years.
The Ravens can count on Brown to make big plays. While the Baltimore offense has primarily focused on winning between the numbers, Brown can open things up for the running backs and tight end Mark Andrews. He’s a key cog in their passing game, even when he doesn’t touch the ball.
Paying Brown $13.4 million on the final year of his rookie deal seems like a steal compared to the massive contract Christian Kirk just signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Cincinnati Bengals
Fifth-year option: OT Jonah Williams
Prediction: Declined
The Bengals are reworking their entire offensive line, but despite some early career adversity, Williams seems to be the lone safeguarded player within the unit.
The former first-round pick has had a bumpy start to his NFL career due to injuries. He missed his entire rookie season with a shoulder injury and only played in 10 games as a sophomore due to a knee issue.
While Williams was able to push himself through all of last season and play well, the Bengals are probably best served waiting out his rookie deal and declining his fifth-year option due to his injury history.
The Bengals aren’t afraid to spend money on their homegrown talent, but the franchise tag might be a better gamble than the fifth-year option at this point for Williams.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Fifth-year option: LB Devin Bush
Prediction: Exercised
Bush suffered a torn ACL in 2020, but he had a solid follow-up campaign last year. While he’s not a standout playmaker, Bush has been a key cog in the Steelers’ defense, and $10.9 million is a relatively affordable price on the positional market.
The Steelers aren’t in the business of letting young, talented homegrown players walk, and using the franchise tag as a fallback plan wouldn’t be a wise move. Bush should be able to have a career year after having even more time to recover from major knee surgery.
The fifth-year option is a worthwhile gamble for Pittsburgh.
