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The first round of the 2023 NFL Draft was a fascinating one. There were a trio of quarterbacks selected in the top four picks, with Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson all coming off the board early. There were stars that were found both early (Will Anderson Jr., Devon Witherspoon, Jalen Carter, Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs) and later (Christian Gonzalez, Jaxon Smith-Njigba) in the first round, at positions considered both premium and not. And of course, there were plenty of whiffs as well. 

Three years after these players had their dreams come true on draft day, their teams are now in a position where they have to decide on their futures. All first-round contracts are guaranteed for four seasons, but they also contain an option for the team to extend the player a fifth year, also fully guaranteed. And the decision on whether to do so has to be made by May 1, 2026.

In the space below, we’re going to track each of the first-round draft picks by whether they had their option picked up or declined, or whether they signed a contract extension with their team. As a reminder, there were only 31 picks in the first round of the 2023 draft because the Miami Dolphins forfeited their selection as punishment for violations of the league’s anti-tampering policy.

Fifth-year option tracker

Pick Player (team) Team Fifth-year option decision Projected contract
1

Bryce Young

Panthers

Picked up

$25.9 million

2

C.J. Stroud

Texans

Picked up

$25.9 million

3

Will Anderson Jr.

Texans

Extended

3 years, $150 million

4

Anthony Richardson

Colts

TBD

$22.4 million

5

Devon Witherspoon

Seahawks

Picked up

$21.2 million

6

Paris Johnson Jr.

Cardinals

Picked up

$19.1 million

7

Tyree Wilson

Raiders

TBD

$14.5 million

8

Bijan Robinson

Falcons

Picked up

$11.3 million

9

Jalen Carter

Eagles

TBD

$27.1 million

10

Darnell Wright

Bears

TBD

$19.1 million

11

Peter Skoronski

Titans

TBD

$19.1 million

12

Jahmyr Gibbs

Lions

TBD

$14.3 million

13

Lukas Van Ness

Packers

TBD

$13.8 million

14

Broderick Jones

Steelers

TBD

$19.1 million

15

Will McDonald IV

Jets

TBD

$13.8 million

16

Emmanuel Forbes

Rams

TBD

$12.6 million

17

Christian Gonzalez

Patriots

TBD

$18.1 million

18

Jack Campbell

Lions

TBD

$21.9 million

19

Calijah Kancey

Buccaneers

TBD

$14.5 million

20

Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Seahawks

Extended

4 years, $168.6 million

21

Quentin Johnston

Chargers

TBD

$18.0 million

22

Zay Flowers

Ravens

Picked up

$27.3 million

23

Jordan Addison

Vikings

Picked up

$18.0 million

24

Deonte Banks

Giants

TBD

$12.6 million

25

Dalton Kincaid

Bills

Picked up

$8.2 million

26

Mazi Smith

Jets

TBD

$13.9 million

27

Anton Harrison

Jaguars

Picked up

$19.1 million

28

Myles Murphy

Bengals

TBD

$14.5 million

29 Bryan Bresee Saints Picked up $13.9 million
30 Nolan Smith Eagles TBD $13.8 million
31 Felix Anudike-Uzomah Chiefs TBD $14.5 million