NFL teams exercised their options for a fifth season on the contracts of four of the five players with Alabama football roots who were eligible this year.

The exception was Miami Dolphins cornerback Noah Igbinoghene.

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Tuesday was the deadline for teams to pick up the fifth-year option for players selected in the first round of the 2020 draft.

The Dolphins announced in March that they would exercise their option on the contract of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, the fifth selection the 2020 draft. But they did not include Igbinoghene, the 30th pick, or offensive tackle Austin Jackson, the 18th pick, in that announcement and did not provide any update as the deadline approached and passed.

Every drafted player gets a four-year contract, and those for first-round draft choices carry a team option for a fifth season. Teams must exercise that option before the player’s fourth season.

A former Hewitt-Trussville standout, Igbinoghene joined the Dolphins from Auburn and played in 16 games as a rookie, then played in 16 over the past two seasons. After playing 287 defensive snaps in 2020, Igbinoghene was on the field for 316 over the past two seasons.

Seventy-five of those snaps came in the Dolphins’ 16-10 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 23, when he did not come off the field on defense and sealed with victory with an end-zone interception with 18 seconds to play.

If Miami had picked up its option on Igbinoghene’s contract, the cornerback would have had a guaranteed salary of $11.514 million for the 2024 season. His full salary for the 2023 season — $2.145 million – also would have become guaranteed.

The five players from Alabama colleges fared better than 2020′s first-round class as a whole. Teams picked up their options on 12 of the 26 eligible contracts.

The players with Alabama football roots who had their options exercised and the value of their 2024 guarantee included:

· Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama), the fifth pick: $23.171 million

· Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Derrick Brown (Auburn), the seventh pick: $11.665 million

· Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. (Alabama), the 10th pick: $14.175 million

· Denver Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (Alabama), the 15th pick: $12.987 million

For Tagovailoa, Brown and Wills, the fifth-year option payday is the average of the third through the 20th highest salaries at their position in the NFL over the past five seasons. For Jeudy, it’s the average of the third through the 25th highest salaries for wide receivers over the past five seasons. The difference was caused by the amount of playing time during the first three seasons.

Among the six players not eligible for the fifth-year option was former Lee-Montgomery and Alabama standout Henry Ruggs III, the 12th selection the 2020 draft.

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The Las Vegas Raiders released Ruggs on Nov. 2, 2021, the same day he was involved in a fatal wreck that resulted in charges against him that included driving under the influence of alcohol and/or controlled or prohibited substance resulting in death.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.