Today is the deadline for NFL teams to exercise the fifth-year option for players they drafted in the first round back in 2013. That means we’ll learn what the future holds for Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Jarvis Jones by later on today.
Should the Steelers decide to pick up Jones’ fifth-year option, it would result in him being scheduled to earn $8.369 million in 2017 as long as he’s on the roster come the start of that league year in March. That fifth-year would only be guaranteed in the case of an injury up until that point.
Should the Steelers decide not to pick up Jones’ fifth-year option, they would still be able to work out a long-term extension with the Georgia product at a much lower yearly average prior to the start of the 2016 regular season. With that said, Jones might decide that he wants to gamble on himself in 2016 with eyes on cashing in big next offseason as an unrestricted free agent.
The Steelers added another young outside linebacker to their roster this past weekend when they drafted Washington product Travis Feeney in the sixth-round. Feeney joins a crowded outside linebacker room that already includes Jones, James Harrison, Arthur Moats, Bud Dupree and Anthony Chickillo.
In his first three years in the league Jones has recorded 87 total tackles, 5 sacks, one interception and 2 forced fumbles.
