Colts' Richardson Among Those to See Fifth-Year Option Declined

The deadline for teams to exercise the fifth-year option on first-round picks from the 2023 NFL Draft passed on Friday afternoon. Some of the decisions made were no-brainers. One such example was the Texans picking up the option on Will Anderson III (and subsequently resetting the market) for 2027. However, there were some choices that went right down to the wire.

With that said, let’s take a look at a couple of those late-breaking decisions.

Players Whose Fifth-Year Options Were Picked Up

Lukas Van Ness, Packers: Van Ness hasn’t been a massive factor in his first few seasons for the Packers.  He played just nine games last season, starting two. Van Ness had 19 tackles, three tackles for loss, seven quarterback hits and 1.5 sacks on the year. In his three-year career, he has 84 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 23 quarterback hits and 8.5 sacks in 43 games. It seemed a dicey proposition for his fifth-year option to be picked up.

As it turned out, the Packers made the decision to pick up his option. He’ll get a chance to prove himself in 2026. After all, Green Bay traded Rashan Gary to create more playing time for Van Ness. If he doesn’t deliver, he won't be a factor in Green Bay in 2027 and beyond.

Peter Skoronski, Titans: Skoronski isn’t a name as well known as some of the first round picks in the draft. Part of that is because he is an offensive lineman. There also is the fact that the Titans haven’t been a contender since he came into the league. Skoronski started 14 games as a rookie before starting all 17 games each of the last two seasons.

He was effective in 2025, cutting his penalty total in half from 2024, going from six to three. That included just two holding penalties. With so much youth on the Titans, especially on offense, having a guy with three years experience is a plus.

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Players Whose Option Was Declined

Anthony Richardson, Colts: Arguably the most head-scratching decision at the top of the draft in recent years, the Colts took Richardson fourth overall in 2023. He earned the starting QB job in training camp, despite only 13 college starts. His rookie season lasted four games before suffering a grade 3 AC joint sprain that required surgery but the hopes were high.

In 2024, Richardson was 6-5 as a starter but completed just 47.7% of his throws with eight touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He missed time with a back injury and an oblique injury. Richardson lost the starting job for a pair of games in the middle of the season. Last season, he lost a training camp battle with Daniel Jones for the starting job. Richardson fractured the orbital bone in his eye in pregame warmups in mid-October and missed the rest of the year.

Richardson played 17 NFL games, starting 15, in his career. He completed 50.6% of his passes for 2,400 yards with 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Richardson added 634 yards and 10 scores on the ground. He requested a trade but his status is unclear at this point.

Jack Campbell, Lions: Campbell was the 18th overall pick in 2023. The decline of his option was more financially motivated compared to lack of production. Campbell’s contract carried a hit of $21.925 million, which would make him the highest-paid off-ball linebacker in the league. As it stands, the Lions hope to negotiate a new deal with Campbell before the year is out.

Campbell piled up 176 tackles (89 solo) with nine tackles for loss, five QB hits, four pass defenses, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries last year. For his efforts, he earned All-Pro First Team honors. Campbell has racked up 402 tackles and 19 tackles for loss in 51 career games, 46 starts. In addition, he has 10 pass defenses, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in his career.

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