First round draft choices in the NFL can be signed to five year contracts when they enter the league but teams have the option to decline or exercise that final year of the deal. The Green Bay Packers have declined to pick up the option year on 2013 number one pick Datone Jones. He would have earned over 6.7 million dollars with the 5th and final year of his rookie deal in 2017.
Jones will now become an unrestricted free agent after the 2016 season but it doesn’t neccessarily mean he will be leaving the team.
The Packers did the same thing with 2012 top pick Nick Perry. He played well enough to earn a new contract after his fourth year last season.
Jones, drafted as a defensive end out of UCLA, moved to linebacker in the second half of 2015 and his performance improved. He recorded three sacks on the season, bringing his career total to 8.
By playing for a new deal this fall, Jones and the Packers hope there’s another performance spike which could earn him a still lucrative pay hike with Green Bay or another NFL team.