Feb. 27, 2026, 7:36 p.m. MT

The Arizona Cardinals have a big decision to make coming up in the next couple of months. They must decide whether or not to exercise the fifth-year team option for left tackle Paris Johnson.

They have until May 1.

We now know how much that will cost the Cardinals.

NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero shared the salaries for the different positions and tiers.

Offensive linemen from the first round of the 2023 draft will have a fifth-year salary ranging from just over $18 million if the player meets no criteria to $25.8 million if he has been selected to two or more Pro Bowls.

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Of the four tiers, Johnson meets Tier 3, which is about playing time. He has not been selected to any Pro Bowl yet. His fifth-year salary for 2027 under the team option would be a little less than $19.1 million.

Based on his play through three years, this would seem like a no-brainer. He has finished the last two seasons on injured reserve with knee injuries, but he has been very good when healthy.

He is technically eligible for a contract extension this offseason, but with the fifth-year option, that can push some negotiations back a year until after the player’s fourth season.

“We’ve got some decision points coming up with Paris here, in terms of the fifth-year option,” general manger Monti Ossenfort said this week at the NFL combine. “We’ll be ready to make that decision here. We’ve got until May to do that, but (I) love what Paris brings to our team, on the field, off the field and (we) want him to be a part of our program for a long time.”

That sounds like a man who knows an extension will happen, but it doesn’t appear to be an imminent thing he is worried about.

Johnson, though, has big goals. He is eyeing potentially a $40 million per-year average.

“Defensive ends are making $40 million a year, and you’re going to need $40 million people to block them,” he said during the season last year (h/t SI.com).

Expect the Cardinals to exercise the option. We shouldn’t expect an extension right away.

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