FOXBOROUGH — The New England Patriots have ensured that neither of their 2012 first-round picks will be leaving the fold until at least 2016.
The Patriots have exercised the fifth-year option for both linebacker Dont'a Hightower and defensive end Chandler Jones. The Jones news was reported by Will Brinson of CBS Sports on Thursday; the Hightower news was reported by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk on Wednesday.
As part of the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement, all first-round draft picks are automatically on a four-year contract, and they also have a fifth-year team option in their contracts that allows the team to keep them for an extra year at a fixed rate.