The New Orleans Saints made a quiet announcement that serves as a reminder that, while at the moment the focus is on the April 28-30 draft, Tuesday, May 3 is going to be another big day in the NFL – a date that will have plenty of impact on the Minnesota Vikings.
May 3 is the date that teams have to announce whether they intend to exercise the fifth-year option on players drafted in the first round.
The selection of the Tuesday after the draft isn’t a coincidence. It was written into the Collective Bargaining Agreement of 2011 that contracts would be limited to four years for rookies, but afforded teams the option to exercise the fifth-year option on first-round picks, which fully guarantees the player’s salary even in the event of injury.