The 5th Year Option is a mechanic available for all players selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. The option gives a team a choice to include a 5th year to a rookie’s contract calculated based upon salaries of other players at their position and whether they have made a Pro Bowl in their career to date. The 5th Year Option must be either accepted or declined by the team after the player completes their 3rd season in the league and prior to the start of their 4th season.
In previous Madden titles, you may have noticed the 5th Year Option Scenario that appeared in the offseason. This was an easy to miss surprise for most users and one that was unavailable to CPU controlled teams. To fix this, the 5th Year Option has been fully integrated into the Re-Sign system and screens for users and CPU alike. During the season you will see your eligible players appear at the end of the Re-Sign list with their current projected earnings for the 5th year. Once in the offseason these players will move back into the list and the final earnings will be updated on the card. This is when the final decision is made. Pick up the option if you have determined the player is critical to your roster and deserving of the increased compensation or move on and make the decision to extend the player normally the following season.