Atlanta, Houston and Carolina are all at slightly different stages of the same offseason process, with the Falcons and Texans already moving to secure cornerstone talent from the 2023 draft while the Panthers prepare to do the same with Bryce Young.

The clearest endorsement came in Atlanta, where the Falcons picked up the fifth-year option on running back Bijan Robinson, the eighth overall selection in 2023 and already one of the league’s most dynamic offensive players. Robinson has quickly become the focal point of Atlanta’s attack, and the move gives the club cost certainty through the 2027 season while reaffirming his status as a central figure in its long-term plans.

Houston, meanwhile, has taken the expected route with quarterback C.J. Stroud. Texans general manager Nick Caserio described the decision to exercise Stroud’s option as ‘kind of a no-brainer’, stressing that the move was largely procedural while reiterating that ‘he’s our quarterback’. The option locks Stroud in for the next two seasons, with NFL.com noting his 2027 figure would be $25.9m.

That does not mean the Texans are rushing toward an extension. In fact, the more revealing element of Caserio’s comments may have been what he did not say. Even while backing Stroud publicly, Houston appears content to keep its leverage, with the option buying more evaluation time after a 2025 season that was markedly less convincing than his electric rookie year.

Carolina’s situation is a shade more nuanced, but it still points in the same direction. Reuters reported on April 14th that Panthers president of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan expects to pick up QB Young’s fifth-year option before next month’s deadline, with the delay attributed simply to Young not yet being back in the building. Morgan also indicated the decision reflects a longer-range view of the quarterback’s development.

If exercised, Young’s option would guarantee him $26.5m for 2027 but, more importantly, shows considerable faith in a player whose NFL start was uneven before a clear step forward in 2025, when he threw for 3,011 yards and 23 touchdowns and helped guide Carolina to its first NFC South title in a decade.