The Cost That Makes Paris Johnson’s Fifth-Year Option Massive Cardinals Decision

The Arizona Cardinals and major decisions in the 2026 offseason will soon be synonymous with each other.

Of course, Kyler Murray will always steal the spotlight and headlines until he's ultimately traded. The Cardinals' future after Murray at quarterback shortly follows.

Events such as free agency and the draft will have their respective time in the limelight, too.

Yet the decision to exercise left tackle Paris Johnson's fifth-year option is slowly approaching, and while it's a no-brainer to keep the former No. 6 overall pick around, there's some costly pros and cons to whatever direction the Cardinals ultimately take.

What Paris Johnson's Fifth-Year Option Could Cost

Paris Johnson Jr., Arizona Cardinal — Oct 19, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals offensive lineman Paris Johnson Jr. (70) against the Green Bay Packers at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Cardinals have until May 1 to exercise Johnson's fifth-year option. If they do decide to enable the option, he will be under contract with Arizona through 2027 at minimum. If they pass, 2026 will be the final year of his rookie deal.

That fifth-year salary is assigned through different tiers depending on if a player has made multiple Pro Bowls, just one Pro Bowl, none with playtime criterion and players who didn't achieve any of the above. These options can only be used on first-round picks.

Johnson qualifies for a salary of $19 million on his fifth-year thanks to playing time, as his Pro Bowl alternate previously does not count. This would be fully guaranteed if Arizona opts for this route.

I believe Paris Johnson Jr. for the third (III) tier for his fifth year option which is over $19M in salary for the 2027 season.

I don’t think his 2024 Pro Bowl alternate counts as a PB https://t.co/86izzjH1Va
— Bo Brack (@BoBrack) February 27, 2026

What Cardinals Could Do With Paris Johnson Jr.

"Paris just got through year three, he'll be going into year four. Excited about where Paris is at. Just like all of our players, he's done some really good things and there's some areas that I know Paris wants to improve at," Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort said at the combine this week.

"So that's the great thing about Paris is I know he's focused on that and I know he's focused on ascending and continuing to ascend. We've got some decision points coming up with Paris here, in terms of the fifth-year option. We'll be ready to make that decision here. We've got til May to do that.

"But love what Paris brings to our team, on the field, off the field and want him to be a part of our program for a long time."

The Cardinals will obviously want to keep Johnson around, and the ideal goal for both sides would striking a long-term extension this offseason rather than only playing out his current short-term contract.

The good news? Ossenfort's shown he's willing to open the pocketbook for stars such as Budda Baker, James Conner and Trey McBride.

Yet Johnson, playing a premier position, could cost a pretty penny.

Paris Johnson is Looking to Get Paid

Johnson's Spotrac market value projects him at $22 million annually, though when previously speaking earlier in the 2025 season, Johnson had his sights set on a larger number.

"That's kind of what comes with being one of the best left tackles in the game," Johnson said. "Defensive ends are making $40 million a year, and you're going to need $40 million people to block them."

Of course that's a lofty goal, and Johnson isn't absolutely pounding the table for that figure — though it's a good negotiation tactic.

Entering the 2026 offseason, the highest average salary per year earner is Rashawn Slater at $28.5 million. If Johnson eclipses that number by more than $10 million, we might need to see him about some lottery numbers.

A $22 million per year mark would put Johnson tied for 15th for offensive lineman with Jordan Mailata, Kolton Miller, Taylor Moton and Zach Tom. That seems like ballpark fair value.

Johnson is a good offensive tackle that can eventually emerge into a great one. He's a true cornerstone for an offensive line in Arizona that clearly lacks a player close to his prowess at any of the other four spots.

Yet this is a league where contracts are absolutely trying to one-up each other each cycle.

The Cardinals will argue Johnson hasn't made a Pro Bowl and has ended the last two seasons on injured reserve. Johnson's camp will point to his reserve Pro Bowl nod, level of play when healthy and the rest of the room before opening their hands for the bag.

The two sides will likely meet in the middle on an extension for Johnson — though his fifth-year option does serve as somewhat of a baseline for those talks while also being a last resort for the Cardinals to keep him around past 2026.