Four years from now, we’ll be talking about whether or not teams will exercise their fifth-year options on this year’s first-round picks.
If the Chargers hit on their top pick, they likely won’t be spending much time mulling that question. They feel they hit in the first round in 2014 when they drafted cornerback Jason Verrett and General Manager Tom Telesco said on Monday that the team plans to exercise the 2018 option on his contract.
Any doubt the Chargers might have about exercising the option likely comes from his injury history. Verrett has played at a high level, but has missed 24 games because of injuries. The most recent was a torn ACL in the fourth week of last season and Verrett also missed 10 games as a rookie due to a torn labrum.
His option for 2018 is guaranteed against injury and the Chargers certainly hope that won’t wind up being an issue when the 2017 season comes to an end.