Bills decline fifth-year option on Shaq Lawson’s contract

Vincent Frank

Updated: May 2, 2019

Buffalo Bills first-round pick Shaq Lawson will suddenly be thrusted into a contract year. The No. 19 overall pick back in 2016, Buffalo decided against picking up the fifth-year option on the pass rusher’s rookie deal.

Just mentioned on @nflnetwork: The #Bills have decided to not pick up the fifth-year option for DE Shaq Lawson, source says. So he’s slated to be a free agent after this upcoming season.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) May 1, 2019

Having put up a total of 10 sacks in three NFL seasons, it’s not terribly surprising that Buffalo would decide against paying Lawson north of $9 million for the 2020 season.

This means that the Clemson product will have an opportunity to put up a career-best performance in 2019 before hitting the open market next March.

In a vacuum, it’s probably not a bad thing for Lawson. He’s seemingly not a great fit in Buffalo’s defense under coordinator Leslie Frazier.

By Vincent Frank

An editor here at Sportsnaut. Contributor at Forbes. Previous bylines include Bleacher Report, Yahoo!, SB Nation. Heard on ESPN ... More about Vincent Frank

Tap Here To Add Sportsnaut As A Trusted Source on Google

Bills decline fifth-year option on Shaq Lawson’s contract

Got a story or tip for us?

Sportsnaut: News, analysis, and rankings across every major sport. Where fans come first.