With the 2020 NFL regular season in the books, it is now time to take a look to the 2021 season. When fans typically think of the upcoming season, there are specific aspects of the league calendar which grab their attention. The official start of the new league year, the free agent courting process, NFL Free Agency and, of course, the 2021 NFL Draft.
But there is another aspect of the new league year which often gets overlooked, and that is the decision teams have to make with their first round draft picks. The class of 2018 will be facing the final year of their rookie contract, and first round picks have a 5th year option organizations can exercise, or decline.