Will the Falcons exercise Kaleb McGary’s fifth-year option?

The Atlanta Falcons have to make a couple decisions when it comes to their 2019 first-round draft picks.

Entering a former first-round pick’s fourth year in the NFL, each team must decide whether they want to exercise the fifth-year option on their rookie contract. The Falcons need to make that decision by May 3rd when it comes to Kaleb McGary, but will they elect to?

Unlike Lindstrom, the Falcons have a decision to make with Kaleb McGary

Kaleb McGary has not exactly had the career he or the Atlanta Falcons would have liked after being a first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. He has struggled as a pass protector while being a decent run blocker during the past couple of years.

Entering his fourth season as a pro, the Falcons must decide if they want to keep him around for a fifth year, that decision should be a little more difficult than it is with Chris Lindstrom.

If exercised, his fifth-year option would be worth about $13 million, which would be a steep price to pay for a player who has been a liability as a pass protector. That would lead many to believe that Atlanta will likely not exercise it.

The only scenario you could see is if they expect him to make a big leap in his ability to pass protect going into his fourth and fifth year in the NFL. That is certainly possible as many players have been late bloomers when it comes to pass protection.

One thing that will be a huge factor in this decision is if the Falcons draft a tackle in the first few rounds of the draft, that would signal towards them moving on from McGary.

So, while the decision to keep Chris Lindstrom around is easy, the decision on whether or not to keep Kaleb McGary around is another story, it would seem like they would lean toward not exercising his fifth-year option as it stands right now.