Jets Will Pick Up Jamal Adams’ Fifth Year Option

In some of the least surprising news of the day, the Jets will pick up Jamal Adams’ fifth year option according to a report by Manish Mehta.

First round picks in the NFL Draft are signed to four year contracts with a team option for a fifth year. The team must decide whether to pick up the option before the player’s fourth season. This year the deadline is May 3.

The fifth year option salary for a player selected in the top ten picks (as Adams was in 2017) is the average salary of the ten highest paid players at his position the year before. That makes Adams’ 2021 salary on the option around $9.9 million. At the moment none of that money is guaranteed. It will become fully guaranteed after the start of the next league year or if Adams suffers a serious injury.

Because the contract does not immediately become guaranteed, there is little risk in picking up the option. In the case of Adams, the decision was a no brainer. The real question is whether the two sides will be able to work out a long-term extension.