Raiders head coach Jon Gruden said Thursday at the NFL Scouting Combine that the team intends to pick up the fifth-year option on safety Karl Joseph.
“I hope so,” Gruden said, via Scott Bair of NBC Bay Area. “I’ll let (new GM Mike Mayock) comment on that later, but it appears that way, yes.”
Joseph was the 14th overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft. All first-round picks sign four-year deals with an option for a fifth-year. The Raiders have until May to officially pick up the option for 2020, which becomes guaranteed for injury only until the start of the 2020 league year next March. His salary for the fifth-year would be an average of the third- to 25th-highest safety contracts in the upcoming season.
Joseph re-established himself on the Raiders’ defense after the team’s bye last year. He finished the season with 48 tackles and two sacks with an interception.
