No Fifth-Year Option Decision This Year, But Chop Call Looms

The annual deadline for NFL team to exercise the fifth-year option on their first-round picks was Friday, but the Miami Dolphins were out of this game in 2026 for a second consecutive year.

The fifth-year option decisions this year applies to 2023 first-round pick, and the Dolphins didn't have one of those because they were stripped of their own selection as part of the sanctions for being found guilty by the NFL of tampering with Tom Brady and Sean Payton and also because the first-round pick they had acquired from the San Francisco 49ers went to the Denver Broncos in a trade for pass rusher Bradley Chubb the previous November.

The Dolphins also didn't have a decision to make last year because their 2022 first-round pick was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs as part of the deal that brought Tyreek Hill to Miami.

But the Dolphins will have a decision to make a year from now, and it's a decision that looks a lot more complicated than it once appeared.

The fifth-year option decisions next year will apply to 2024 first-round picks, and for the Dolphins that will mean whether to lock in edge defender Chop Robinson for the 2028 season.

Exactly how much the Dolphins would have to guarantee on Robinson's fifth-year option will be determined at a later date and those numbers involve four tier, with price escalating with a playing time threshhold and Pro Bowl accolades.

The starting point for edge defenders in 2026 was $14.5 million, all the way up to $24.4 million for players with at least two Pro Bowl selections, something Robinson won't be able to reach after next season. So a working figure should be around $16-17 million based on playing time escalators.

It's a price the Dolphins gladly will pay to secure Robinson's services in 2028, but only if he looks more next season like he did in the second half of his rookie year than he did throughout what was a disappointing second NFL season.

It's a big year all around for Robinson, who is the only player left from what was supposed to be a dominant pass-rushing trio last year with Jaelan Phillips and Chubb. The three had their moments in 2025 before Phillips was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, but not nearly enough and that played a not-insignifiant role in the Dolphins defense struggling through the first half of the season.

Robinson ended last season with four sacks, down from four as a rookie when he wasn't very noticeable early on but became a consistent factor as a pass rusher in the second half.

Exactly why Robinson took a step back in 2025 is unclear, though then-defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver suggested losing his position coach, Ryan Crow, at the start of the season didn't help, as did a lack of opportunities.

Regardless, Robinson needs to step it up again in 2026 because the Dolphins pass rush is a big question mark at this point — and also because it would help secure his place on the Miami roster for at least the 2028 season.

DOLPHINS HISTORY WITH FIFTH-YEAR OPTION DECISIONS

The fifth-year option for first-round picks was introduced in the 2011 CBA and the Dolphins have made 17 first-round selections since then.

Along with Robinson, the Dolphins also will have decisions to make in the future on both 2025 first-round pick Kenneth Grant and 2026 first-rounder Kadyn Proctor.

This is the call they made with their other first-round picks since 2011:

2011 — C Mike Pouncey: option picked up
2012 — QB Ryan Tannehill: option picked up
2013 — DE Dion Jordan: no longer on roster
2014 — T Ja'Wuan James: option picked up
2015 — WR De'Vante Parker: option picked up
2016 — T Laremy Tunsil: option picked up
2017 — DE Charles Harris: option NOT picked up
2018 — DB Minkah Fitzpatrick: traded early in second year
2019 — DT Christian Wilkins: option picked up
2020 — QB Tua Tagovailoa: option picked up
2020 — T Austin Jackson: option NOT picked up
2020 — CB Noah Igbinoghene: option NOT picked up
2021 — WR Jaylen Waddle: option picked up
2021 — OLB Jaelan Phillips: option picked up

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