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Fifth-year options: Browns pass on commitment to Kenny Pickett

Thu May 1 12:26pm ET
Field Level Media

Deadline day for teams to exercise the fifth-year option clause in contracts of 2022 first-round picks provided clarity for multiple players who've changed teams since they turned pro on Thursday.

Browns quarterback Kenny Pickett, set to play for his third team in 13 months, will not have his fifth-year option worth $22.117 million for the 2026 season picked up by Cleveland. Barring a new contract, Pickett would become a free agent in March 2026.

He's owed $2.62 million in 2025 as part of an overcrowded depth chart. The Browns added veteran free agent Joe Flacco and drafted Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders since acquiring Pickett from the Philadelphia Eagles. An injured Deshaun Watson also remains on the roster.

Pickett was the 20th overall pick in 2022 and spent the first two seasons of his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

--Eagles not exercising options on WR Jahan Dotson, OG Kenyon Green

The Philadelphia Eagles opted not to pick up fifth-year options for the 2026 season for wide receiver Jahan Doston and guard Kenyon Green.

Both players were acquired via trade.

Green, the 15th pick in the 2022 draft by the Texans, was acquired from Houston on March 11 with the Eagles sending safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson in return.

Dotson, the No. 16 selection by the Washington Commanders, was acquired during training camp last summer in a trade involving draft picks. He was seventh on the team with 19 receptions in 2024.

The Eagles did not have to make a decision on picking up the option year in Lewis Cine's contract. The 32nd pick of the Vikings was released by Minnesota before the start of the 2024 season and joined the Eagles.

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Player Notes
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Shedeur Sanders Apr 30 2:00pm ET
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The Cleveland Plain Dealer's Mary Kay Cabot writes that it is going to be a steep climb for rookie fifth-round quarterback Shedeur Sanders to beat out Steelers 2022 first-rounder Kenny Pickett, 2025 third-round rookie Dillon Gabriel and fan favorite Joe Flacco for the starting job in 2025. The Browns passed on Sanders six times in last week's draft, including at No. 94 when they took Oregon product Gabriel. Cleveland only traded up to take Sanders at 144th overall because the "steep discount" was too good to pass up. Cabot thinks the 23-year-old will have to outperform the other three QBs on the roster, and he'll have to do it with limited reps this summer. If the season started tomorrow, Pickett might be the current favorite to start under center for the Browns. If Sanders doesn't look good in training camp, he could eventually be cut before the start of the 2025 season this fall.

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Calvin Austin III Apr 30 1:50pm ET
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