May 1 marked the deadline for teams to make a decision on fifth-year options for players drafted in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. For the Dallas Cowboys, that meant they needed to make a decision on cornerback Kaiir Elam even if he wasn't their first-round pick.
The Cowboys traded two picks to land the cornerback from Buffalo after Elam struggled to make things work with the team that spent a first-round pick on him in 2022. The hope is that a change of scenery helps Elam out and he can be an impactful member of the Dallas secondary but fans didn't want a fifth-year option to be picked up on him while he was still an unknown commodity.
Fortunately, Jerry Jones granted fans their wish, as the Cowboys elected not to exercise the fifth-year option on Elam, per Jeremy Fowler. As Fowler noted in the post, had the Cowboys picked up this option, they'd have been on the hook for $12.7 million on a cornerback who has not proven to be worthy of a first-round draft choice.
Jerry Jones makes right call regarding Kaiir Elam's fifth-year option
The best-case scenario here is that, a year from now, Cowboys fans are kicking themselves wishing they had picked up the option because of how well Elam plays in 2025. That being said, considering how forgettable he was during his time with the Bills, this isn't something people should bank on happening, but again, a change of scenery can help players sometimes so maybe that plays out here.
As for the Cowboys cornerback situation, OurLads has Elam listed as the third-string option behind Trevon Diggs and third-round rookie Shavon Revel Jr. Maybe Elam can work his way up the depth chart or find his spot on special teams but had Jones picked up the option for him, that'd have been a massive mistake without seeing what he can provide for this team first.