Commitment
There are plenty of Steelers fans that look at Edmunds year last year and say that it is a flash in the pan and not the real deal. Unfortunately, due to his early struggles, some people have already written off Edmunds as a bad player and not worth the money (eerily similar to another player that will be talked about soon). Even if Edmunds turns around and struggles this year, the fifth-year option isn’t a long-term commitment.
These option contracts are for one year, that’s it. If Edmunds struggles this season, the team will have him under contract for just one more year. They haven’t paid him a giant bonus or guaranteed him a large sum of money. The only thing the fifth-year option does is prevent Edmunds from being a free agent next season.
The only conceivable issue is that these options are now fully guaranteed once handed out. If Edmunds truly flames out next year, the Steelers will still owe him all of the 6.753 million in the contract even if they cut him. That said, it would be shocking to see him do that bad. While he underperformed before last season, he was never as bad as a typical bust. Even if his play takes a step back, he will still be a starting option at the position like he has been before.