Can rookies receive option bonuses?

The assertion that rookie options do not include option bonuses is accurate. In the context of the NFL and many other professional sports leagues, "option bonuses" are typically associated with veterans and their contracts. Rookie contracts, particularly those governed by the league's collective bargaining agreement, have specific rules that dictate their structure, including elements like signing bonuses, base salaries, and performance-based incentives, but do not generally allow for option bonuses.

Rookies, especially those selected in the draft, enter into contracts that are largely standardized, and while they may have performance incentives, the allowance for option bonuses does not apply to them. This structure helps control costs for teams regarding rookie contracts and ensures that the rookie pay scale is adhered to properly.

The concept of option bonuses typically relates to additional payments tied to a player's performance or the club's decision-making for veteran players, thus differentiating it from rookie contracts. That's why the position that asserts rookie options do not include option bonuses is the correct understanding of the practice as it stands under the current salary cap and contractual regulations in professional sports.