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Jaguars, CB Tyson Campbell Agree To Extension

July 23rd, 2024 at 10:12am CST by Adam La Rose

In an offseason featuring a number of high-profile extensions being worked out, the Jaguars have taken care of another important piece of business. Cornerback Tyson Campbell has reached agreement on an extension, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. The move is now official, per a team announcement.

Rapoport notes this is a four-year deal carrying a value of $76.5MM. The pact includes an effective guarantee of $53.4MM, making this a notable commitment on the team’s part. Campbell now becomes the top earner at the cornerback position amongst players who have yet to receive a Pro Bowl nod.

Three corners are attached to deals with an annual average value of $20MM or higher. Campbell, 24, will move into seventh in the pecking order with an AAV of $19.13MM with this deal. Across his three seasons in Jacksonville, he has started all but one of his 43 games. After establishing himself as a key member of Jacksonville’s secondary, Campbell will now be on the books through the 2028 campaign.

The former second-rounder displayed considerable ball skills during his first two campaigns. Between 2021 and ’22, Campbell totaled five interceptions and 25 pass deflections. The 2023 season saw a regression in that regard (one interception, five breakups) and Campbell also took a step back in the coverage department. The Georgia alum allowed eight touchdowns and a passer rating of 128.5 as the nearest defender, both the worst figures of his career.

In spite of that, Jacksonville has made another big-money commitment to a homegrown player. Edge rusher Josh Hines-Allen signed an extension averaging $28.25MM per year this offseason, setting the stage for a Trevor Lawrence deal. The latter inked a monster pact of his own, tying Joe Burrow for the top spot at the quarterback position ($55MM per year). Today’s Campbell deal is not on the same level of those commitments, but it further underscores the organization’s intention of retaining in-house players rather than making outside additions.

Jacksonville did take the latter route by adding Ronald Darby in free agency, but his pact (two years, $8.5MM) is the only other cornerback deal featuring notable guaranteed money. Campbell will face increased expectations moving forward given his big-ticket extension and Jacksonville’s general hopes of rebounding from the underwhelming end to the 2023 campaign.

Darnell Savage was added at the safety spot this spring, and Andre Cisco profiles as a logical extension candidate as early as this offseason. For now, though, Campbell finds himself in a tier of his own with respect to Jaguars compensation in the secondary. If he returns to his pre-2023 form, today’s investment could prove to be worthwhile.

Jaguars Place DL Arik Armstead On PUP

July 20th, 2024 at 2:32pm CST by Ely Allen

When Arik Armstead underwent knee surgery two days after his former team’s Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs, it was apparent that he would be missing most, if not all, of the offseason. That makes it no surprise that the Jaguars have placed their newly acquired defensive lineman on the active/physically unable to perform list.

Armstead revealed after the season finale that he had suffered a torn meniscus at the beginning of December during the 49ers’ roadtrip to Philadelphia. The 30-year-old has already had an extensive history of dealing with injuries in his career since coming out of Oregon. Since being selected in the first round in 2015, Armstead has missed 31 regular season contests. He missed large expanses of time in both his second and third seasons before rebounding with a show of health for the next four years. Unfortunately, 2022 saw the return of some demons for the veteran as he missed 13 games over the last two seasons.

The silver lining of this history of maladies is that he hasn’t seemed to have a trick knee or bum shoulder that is continuously a point of concern with these injuries. Early upper body ailments have more recently been replaced with lower body injuries. There is a little cause for potential concern as the recently operated upon knee cost Armstead some time in training camp in 2022 with a sprain, though it was a hairline fracture in his fibula that led to missed games that year.

The good news is that with his extensive history of injuries comes an extensive history of recoveries. While you never wish injury on any particular player, someone with Armstead’s experience of rehabilitation stands a strong chance of a more efficient comeback. He was aiming to return in time for training camp, buy this transaction puts a bit of a damper on those plans as Jacksonville kicks off camp in three days.

Still, we’ve seen a number of players already pass physicals even a day after being placed on their respective injured lists. Without much more insight into the status of Armstead’s rehab, he could come off the list tomorrow or he could be at risk of missing regular season time. Time will tell as the Jaguars begin to come back for the summer.

Largest 2024 Cap Hits: Offense

July 12th, 2024 at 10:11pm CST by Adam La Rose

The NFL’s salary cap ceiling was expected to see a large increase this offseason, but estimates proved to be on the low side. A record-setting jump resulted in a cap of $255.4MM for teams to work with.

That has resulted in new waves of spending at a few positions, with quarterbacks and receivers seeing continued growth at the top of the market. Last offseason offered a strong chance of the league seeing at least one $40MM-plus cap charge, but the Browns avoided such a scenario with a Deshaun Watson restructure. Owing to that move – and the lack of further adjustments this spring – however, Watson’s financial impact is set to grow considerably this season.

Here are the league’s top cap charges on offense leading up to training camp:

  1. Deshaun Watson, QB (Browns): $63.77MM
  2. Dak Prescott, QB (Cowboys): $55.13MM
  3. Matthew Stafford, QB (Rams): $49.5MM
  4. Kyler Murray, QB (Cardinals): $49.12MM
  5. Daniel Jones, QB (Giants): $47.86MM
  6. Patrick Mahomes, QB (Chiefs): 37.01MM
  7. Lamar Jackson, QB (Ravens): $32.4MM
  8. Trent Williams, LT (49ers): $31.57MM
  9. Tyreek Hill, WR (Dolphins): $31.32MM
  10. Josh Allen, QB (Bills): $30.36MM
  11. Cooper Kupp, WR (Rams): $29.78MM
  12. Taylor Moton, RT (Panthers): $29.75MM
  13. Joe Burrow, QB (Bengals): $29.55MM
  14. Deebo Samuel, WR (49ers): $28.63MM
  15. Chris Godwin, WR (Buccaneers): $27.53MM
  16. Jared Goff, QB (Lions): $27.21MM
  17. Joe Thuney, LG (Chiefs): $26.97MM
  18. Geno Smith, QB (Seahawks): $26.4MM
  19. Laremy Tunsil, LT (Texans): $25.86MM
  20. Davante Adams, WR (Raiders): $25.35MM
  21. Quenton Nelson, LG (Colts): $25.2MM
  22. Kirk Cousins, QB (Falcons): $25MM
  23. Jawaan Taylor, RT (Chiefs): $24.73MM
  24. D.K. Metcalf, WR (Seahawks): $24.5MM
  25. Christian Kirk, WR (Jaguars): $24.24MM

Watson’s figure will shatter the NFL record for the largest single-season cap charge if no adjustments are made in the coming weeks. The hits for Prescott, Murray, Stafford and Jones also would have set a new benchmark if not for the Browns passer, a sign of the QB market’s continued upward trajectory. Cleveland is set to remain in a similar situation for the next three years as Watson plays out his fully guaranteed $230MM deal.

Prescott’s future is one of several important questions the Cowboys need to answer relatively soon. With CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons due for second contracts, an extension for the three-time Pro Bowler will need to take into account future commitments. While Prescott has considerable leverage (via no-tag and no-trade clauses), he joins Jones in facing an uncertain post-2024 future in the NFC East.

The latter saw the Giants make an effort to trade up for a quarterback in April and he reacted in an understandable manner. Jones’ $40MM-per-year 2023 extension remains the dominant storyline surrounding the team, and a decision on retaining him or moving on will need to be made prior to a potential out early next offseason. Murray’s performance this fall will likewise be worth watching; he has received consistent praise from head coach Jonathan Gannon, but he will aim to put together a fully healthy season following 2023’s truncated campaign.

Stafford and the Rams have a mutual desire to continue their relationship, but he is seeking guarantees beyond the 2024 campaign. The 36-year-old’s representatives have been in discussion on a resolution during the offseason, although even in the absence of one a training camp holdout is not expected. The likes of Mahomes, Jackson and Allen retain a place in the top 25, and the same will no doubt be true of Burrow for years to come.

Of the receivers listed, only Hill is known to be actively pursuing a new deal. The 30-year-old once led the receiver market with a $30MM AAV, a figure inflated by non-guaranteed money at the end of the pact. With the bar having been raised to new heights this offseason, Hill could join teammate Jaylen Waddle in securing a new payday. Since the team has a Tua Tagovailoa extension on the horizon, however, Miami could hesitate on the Hill front.

It come as little surprise that Williams tops the list for offensive linemen. The 11-time Pro Bowler has been mentioned in retirement rumors before, but playing to age 40 is now a goal. Meeting it could require future contract adjustments. Samuel’s future in the Bay Area was a talking point this offseason as the team attempts to keep Brandon Aiyuk in the fold. One of the high-profile wideouts may be playing for a new team for the first time in their career in 2025.

Elsewhere along the O-line, Moton and Taylor demonstrate the value seen at the right tackle spot in recent years. Given the developments of the guard market this offseason, though, the likes of Thuney and Nelson will have competition for spots on the list in future years. Similarly, the non-Hill wideouts could easily be surpassed in the future with a further additions set to be made (particularly by Lamb, Aiyuk and Ja’Marr Chase) at the top of the ever-increasing market.

Goff joined the $50MM-per-year club on his third NFL deal, whereas Cousins continued to add to his impressive NFL earnings by joining the Falcons. If healthy, the latter could prove to be an effective pickup for a team aiming to return to the postseason (while quieting questions about a transition to Michael Penix Jr. under center). Smith also has plenty riding on this season with a new Seahawks coaching staff in place which incrementally arrived at the decision he will serve as the starter in 2024.

Former Bucs DC Monte Kiffin Dies At 84

July 11th, 2024 at 6:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

Monte Kiffin, who served as the Buccaneers’ defensive coordinator for 13 seasons in the 1990s and 2000s, died Thursday. He was 84. An NFL assistant for nearly 30 years, Kiffin served as the driving force behind the Bucs’ dominant Super Bowl XXXVII-winning defense.

Tony Dungy brought Kiffin to Tampa upon being hired in 1996; the two had worked together in Minnesota previously. Kiffin stayed on beyond Dungy’s 2002 firing, remaining with the team under Jon Gruden and architecting one of the best defenses in NFL history. Featuring four Hall of Fame-bound defenders, the ’02 Bucs led the NFL in scoring and total defense and intercepted five passes in a Super Bowl rout of the Raiders.

Prior to unleashing the Tampa-2 defense he helped create, Kiffin had previously served as Vikings DC in 1991 and Saints DC four years later. Those were one-offs, however, with Dungy’s offer cutting the New Orleans stay short. Kiffin certainly played a significant role in Derrick Brooks, Warren Sapp, Ronde Barber and John Lynch establishing Canton candidacies.

“Monte Kiffin was a beloved and iconic member of the Buccaneers family, and our entire organization mourns his loss today,” the Bucs said in a statement. “As a coach, Monte was a true innovator who got the best out of his players and helped create one of the signature defenses of the early 2000s. His passionate and energetic leadership style resonated with all his players, and he was instrumental in our first Super Bowl win and the success of Hall of Famers such as Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, John Lynch and Ronde Barber.”

Also an assistant with the Packers, Bills and Jets, Kiffin later served as the defensive coordinator for son Lane during the latter’s one-season stay as the Tennessee Volunteers’ head coach. Monte Kiffin followed his son to USC, a stint that helped reestablish the former Raiders HC in the college game, before returning to the NFL as Cowboys DC.

The Dallas 2013 stint also stopped after one season, with Dallas hiring Rod Marinelli as DC in 2014. Monte Kiffin stayed on for one more season as a Cowboys assistant, however, before a Jaguars stop. Kiffin’s final two coaching roles came under Lane at Florida Atlantic and Ole Miss. The Kiffin patriarch was a Rebels analyst as recently as last season.

The Bucs gig earned Kiffin a place in the franchise’s ring of honor. While the Bucs peaked in 2002, Dungy and Kiffin led the way in rebooting a moribund franchise in the late 1990s. The Bucs voyaged to the Super Bowl XXXIV precipice, intercepting Kurt Warner three times in an 11-6 defensive tussle. After two playoff losses in Philadelphia doomed top-10 defenses, the Bucs outscored their 2002 playoff opposition 116-37. Four of Tampa Bay’s postseason TDs came on pick-sixes, with three of those taking place in the team’s Super Bowl romp.

The NFL’s Longest-Tenured GMs

July 10th, 2024 at 10:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

The NFL’s general manager ranks featured some key shakeups this offseason. One of the longest-tenured pure GMs in the game, Tom Telesco, lost his Chargers seat 11 years in. The Raiders, however, gave Telesco a second chance. He now controls the Las Vegas roster. Only Telesco and the Jaguars’ Trent Baalke reside as second-chance GMs currently.

Two long-serving personnel bosses also exited this offseason. The Patriots’ decision to move on from 24-year HC Bill Belichick gave Jerod Mayo a head coaching opportunity but also resulted in Eliot Wolf belatedly rising to the top of the team’s front office hierarchy. A former Packers and Browns exec, Wolf held decision-making power through the draft and kept it on an official basis soon after. While John Schneider arrived in Seattle with Pete Carroll in 2010, the latter held final say. Following Carroll’s ouster after 14 seasons, Schneider has full control.

[RELATED: The NFL’s Longest-Tenured Head Coaches]

The Commanders changed GMs this offseason, hiring ex-San Francisco staffer Adam Peters, but Martin Mayhew received merely a demotion. The three-year Washington GM, who worked alongside Peters with the 49ers, is now in place as a senior personnel exec advising Peters. Rather than look outside the organization, Panthers owner David Tepper replaced Scott Fitterer with Dan Morgan, who had previously worked as the team’s assistant GM.

Going into his 23rd season running the Saints, Mickey Loomis remains the NFL’s longest-serving pure GM. This will mark the veteran exec’s third season without Sean Payton. An eight-year gap now exists between Loomis and the NFL’s second-longest-tenured pure GM.

As the offseason winds down, here is how the league’s 32 GM jobs look:

  1. Jerry Jones (Dallas Cowboys): April 18, 1989[1]
  2. Mike Brown (Cincinnati Bengals): August 5, 1991[2]
  3. Mickey Loomis (New Orleans Saints): May 14, 2002
  4. John Schneider (Seattle Seahawks): January 19, 2010; signed extension in 2021
  5. Howie Roseman (Philadelphia Eagles): January 29, 2010[3]; signed extension in 2022
  6. Les Snead (Los Angeles Rams): February 10, 2012; signed extension in 2022
  7. Jason Licht (Tampa Bay Buccaneers): January 21, 2014; signed extension in 2021
  8. Chris Grier (Miami Dolphins): January 4, 2016[4]
  9. John Lynch (San Francisco 49ers): January 29, 2017; signed extension in 2023
  10. Chris Ballard (Indianapolis Colts): January 30, 2017; signed extension in 2021
  11. Brandon Beane (Buffalo Bills): May 9, 2017; signed extension in 2023
  12. Brett Veach (Kansas City Chiefs): July 11, 2017; signed extension in 2024
  13. Brian Gutekunst (Green Bay Packers): January 7, 2018; agreed to extension in 2022
  14. Eric DeCosta (Baltimore Ravens): January 7, 2019
  15. Joe Douglas (New York Jets): June 7, 2019
  16. Andrew Berry (Cleveland Browns): January 27, 2020: signed extension in 2024
  17. Nick Caserio (Houston Texans): January 5, 2021
  18. George Paton (Denver Broncos): January 13, 2021
  19. Brad Holmes (Detroit Lions): January 14, 2021: agreed to extension in 2024
  20. Terry Fontenot (Atlanta Falcons): January 19, 2021
  21. Trent Baalke (Jacksonville Jaguars): January 21, 2021
  22. Joe Schoen (New York Giants): January 21, 2022
  23. Ryan Poles (Chicago Bears): January 25, 2022
  24. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah (Minnesota Vikings): January 26, 2022
  25. Omar Khan (Pittsburgh Steelers): May 24, 2022
  26. Monti Ossenfort (Arizona Cardinals): January 16, 2023
  27. Ran Carthon (Tennessee Titans): January 17, 2023
  28. Adam Peters (Washington Commanders): January 12, 2024
  29. Dan Morgan (Carolina Panthers): January 22, 2024
  30. Tom Telesco (Las Vegas Raiders): January 23, 2024
  31. Joe Hortiz (Los Angeles Chargers): January 29, 2024
  32. Eliot Wolf (New England Patriots): May 11, 2024

Footnotes:

  1. Jones has been the Cowboys’ de facto general manager since former GM Tex Schramm resigned in April 1989.
  2. Brown has been the Bengals’ de facto GM since taking over as the team’s owner in August 1991.
  3. The Eagles bumped Roseman from the top decision-making post in 2015, giving Chip Kelly personnel power. Roseman was reinstated upon Kelly’s December 2015 firing.
  4. Although Grier was hired in 2016, he became the Dolphins’ top football exec on Dec. 31, 2018

AFC South Rumors: Green, Hines-Allen, Radunz

July 10th, 2024 at 7:38pm CST by Ely Allen

The Texans were forced to scramble last year when second-year starting guard Kenyon Green underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in the preseason. The team opted to trade for the similarly-named Kendrick Green (no relation) to start in his place but were thrown for a loop shortly into the season.

After sitting out the team’s season opener as he was still acquainting himself with the offense, Green started the next three games at left guard for Houston. Unfortunately, near the end of the game against his former team, the Steelers, Green suffered an injury that, while not tearing any ligaments, still required meniscus surgery that would hold him out for the remainder of the year.

According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, Green has now made a full recovery and will make his return during training camp. Kenyon Green was also recently reported to be back to full strength, so now, both healthy Greens will compete for the starting left guard job.

Here are a couple of other notes coming out of the AFC South:

  • To the relief of many sports writers, a certain Jaguars outside linebacker will no longer sport the exact same name as a player he may potentially be sacking. From now on, Josh Allen will potentially be getting sacked by Josh Hines-Allen. Hines-Allen posted the news on his X account, saying, “Legacy is forever, and I’m proud to carry that tradition on the back of my jersey, following in the footsteps of my family, who have donned the Hines-Allen last name with so much pride and joy.”
  • In a look at the Titans‘ right guard and right tackle position battles almost three weeks ago, we noted that a healthy Nicholas Petit-Frere had the potential to win the starting right tackle job, which could push last year’s starter at the position, Dillon Radunz, back inside to guard. According to a training camp preview from Titans senior writer/editor Jim Wyatt, we are apparently seeing this come to fruition. Wyatt claims that the team has “locked in” Radunz at guard, where he’ll now compete with Daniel Brunskill and Saahdiq Charles for the starting role.

The NFL’s Longest-Tenured Head Coaches

July 5th, 2024 at 10:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

Following 2023’s five-team coaching carousel, this offseason featured a quarter of the jobs becoming available. One HC-needy team (New England) did not put its position on the market, promoting Jerod Mayo, but the rest did. The Patriots’ decision also produced the first shakeup among the league’s longest-tenured head coach list since 2013.

Since the Eagles fired Andy Reid, Bill Belichick‘s Patriots HC stint had run the longest. After a 4-13 season, the six-time Super Bowl-winning leader was moved out of the picture. No team hired Belichick, generating a wave of rumors, and only one (Atlanta) brought him in for an official interview. While Belichick should be expected to take at least one more run at a third-chance HC gig, Mike Tomlin rises into the top spot on this list.

Tomlin is going into his 18th season with the Steelers, and while he has surpassed Bill Cowher for longevity, the steady leader still has a ways to go to reach Chuck Noll‘s 23-season Pittsburgh benchmark. Tomlin, 52, enters the 2024 season 17-for-17 in non-losing seasons, separating himself from his predecessors in that regard.

Belichick’s ouster brought far more attention, but his Patriots predecessor also slid out of the HC ranks after a 14-year Seattle stay. Pete Carroll‘s third HC shot elevated the Seahawks to their franchise peak. No Hawks HC comes close to Carroll’s duration, and while the Super Bowl winner was interested in remaining a head coach, no team interviewed the 72-year-old sideline staple.

Belichick and Carroll’s exits leave only Tomlin, John Harbaugh and Reid as coaches who have been in place at least 10 years. With Mike Vrabel also booted this offseason, only eight HCs have held their current jobs since the 2010s. A few 2017 hires, however, stand out; Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay and Sean McDermott have now each signed multiple extensions. Now riding back-to-back Super Bowl wins, Reid joined Tomlin in signing an offseason extension.

Here is how the 32 HC jobs look for the 2024 season:

  1. Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers): January 27, 2007; extended through 2027
  2. John Harbaugh (Baltimore Ravens): January 19, 2008; extended through 2025
  3. Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs): January 4, 2013; extended through 2029
  4. Sean McDermott (Buffalo Bills): January 11, 2017; extended through 2027
  5. Sean McVay (Los Angeles Rams): January 12, 2017; extended through 2027
  6. Kyle Shanahan (San Francisco 49ers): February 6, 2017; extended through 2027
  7. Matt LaFleur (Green Bay Packers): January 8, 2019: signed extension in July 2022
  8. Zac Taylor (Cincinnati Bengals): February 4, 2019; extended through 2026
  9. Mike McCarthy (Dallas Cowboys): January 7, 2020
  10. Kevin Stefanski (Cleveland Browns): January 13, 2020; signed offseason extension
  11. Robert Saleh (New York Jets): January 15, 2021
  12. Dan Campbell (Detroit Lions): January 20, 2021; extended through 2027
  13. Nick Sirianni (Philadelphia Eagles): January 21, 2021
  14. Matt Eberflus (Chicago Bears): January 27, 2022
  15. Brian Daboll (New York Giants): January 28, 2022
  16. Kevin O’Connell (Minnesota Vikings): February 2, 2022
  17. Doug Pederson (Jacksonville Jaguars): February 3, 2022
  18. Mike McDaniel (Miami Dolphins): February 6, 2022
  19. Dennis Allen (New Orleans Saints): February 7, 2022
  20. Todd Bowles (Tampa Bay Buccaneers): March 30, 2022
  21. Sean Payton (Denver Broncos): January 31, 2023
  22. DeMeco Ryans (Houston Texans): January 31, 2023
  23. Shane Steichen (Indianapolis Colts): February 14, 2023
  24. Jonathan Gannon (Arizona Cardinals): February 14, 2023
  25. Jerod Mayo (New England Patriots): January 12, 2024
  26. Antonio Pierce (Las Vegas Raiders): January 19, 2024
  27. Brian Callahan (Tennessee Titans): January 22, 2024
  28. Jim Harbaugh (Los Angeles Chargers): January 24, 2024
  29. Dave Canales (Carolina Panthers): January 25, 2024
  30. Raheem Morris (Atlanta Falcons): January 25, 2024
  31. Mike Macdonald (Seattle Seahawks): January 31, 2024
  32. Dan Quinn (Washington Commanders): February 1, 2024

Jacksonville Approves $775MM Renovation To EverBank Stadium, 30-Year Lease With Jaguars

June 30th, 2024 at 10:09pm CST by Rory Parks

The Jacksonville City Council recently approved $775MM in improvements to EverBank Stadium, the home of the Jaguars, as relayed by Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. Along with the funding comes a new lease tethering the Jags to Jacksonville for the next 30 years.

For those who are interested, more details on the agreement, including renderings of what the finished product will look like, can be found here. As Volin notes, one of the most notable components of the renovation will be the addition of a canopy over the field, which offers shade for fans and which can cool the stadium by as much as 15 degrees while still allowing for wind and other elements. SoFi Stadium, where the Rams and Chargers play their home games, has a similar feature.

For our purposes at PFR, the most important part of this development is the lease. Although the chatter had died down in recent years, Jaguars fans in particular will recall the persistent rumors connecting their team to a London relocation, and this lease will officially put that speculation to rest (for the next few decades, at least).

The NFL’s London games have generally been a tremendous success, and just last April, we heard that the creation of a four-team, all-European division was gaining steam among league ownership. The Jags are the only team to have their own international agreement, and they have played at least one game in London’s Wembley Stadium since 2013 (aside from the pandemic-altered year of 2020). As such, they were long considered to be the top candidate for relocation if the NFL’s goal of installing a permanent London-based outfit included relocation of a current club rather than expansion.

Plus, owner Shad Khan was at one time in talks to buy Wembley Stadium, and among his NFL owner peers, he had secured a right of first refusal with respect to a London relocation. So while Khan has consistently maintained that his goal is to keep the Jaguars in Jacksonville, it was always fair to wonder if the call of a move across the pond would prove to be too tempting.

Construction on EverBank will begin after the 2025 campaign, and the hope is that it will be completed before the 2028 seasons begins. The Jags will play at EverBank with reduced capacity (43,500) in 2026 but will need to play their U.S. home games elsewhere — Volin names Orlando and Gainesville as possibilities — in 2027.

In announcing the agreement, Jacksonville mayor Donna Deegan said it is “a historic day for our city,” and when the framework of the agreement was first announced last month, Khan said, “the belief and determination of Delores and Wayne Weaver to make the Jacksonville Jaguars a reality more than 30 years ago was reaffirmed today by the leadership of Mayor Donna Deegan, her team and the Jacksonville City Council. The message then, and now, should be clear. Never doubt Jacksonville!”

Shad Khan Addresses Jaguars’ Play-Calling Situation, 2023 Shortcomings

June 27th, 2024 at 4:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

Entering Week 13 competing for the AFC’s No. 1 seed, the Jaguars tumbled to a disappointing 9-8 finish. This led to Doug Pederson canning most of his defensive staff. As for Pederson and the offensive staff, this figures to be an important season — especially now that the Jags extended Trevor Lawrence at a record-tying rate.

Lawrence is now tied to a five-year, $275MM deal, but the contract comes after the former No. 1 overall pick did not build on his late-season 2022 success. Injuries played a central role in Lawrence’s underwhelming third season, but the heat is on Pederson and OC-turned-play-caller Press Taylor.

After Pederson served as the Jags’ primary play-caller in 2022, he handed the reins to Taylor before the ’23 season. A former Pederson assistant in Philadelphia, Taylor — the younger brother of Bengals HC Zac Taylor — had not been a primary play-caller previously. Pederson has not said if he will reclaim those duties this season, but Shad Khan made an interesting comment about the situation. Referencing a New York Times piece alluding to the third-year HC’s job security, the owner said, “If I were in that situation, I’d want my hands on the wheel.”

“Yeah, I have an opinion,” Khan said, via the Associated Press’ Mark Long, on the Jags’ play-calling situation. “But I don’t want to tell people ‘We need to do it’ because then things don’t work out, they look at me and say, ‘We did it because you wanted it.‘ … Doug, he’s empowered. I’m going to let him decide.”

Khan did not indicate this is a do-or-die season for Pederson, though his hypothetical comment regarding the situation could certainly be perceived as the owner having a preference for the head coach taking back the reins. GM Trent Baalke also was believed to be taking a close look at the state of the offense during the season’s final weeks.

The Jags only dropped from 10th to 13th in scoring (DVOA placed Jacksonville’s offense 18th) between 2022 and 2023, but after a strong finish covered for a sluggish start in Pederson’s Jacksonville debut, his 2023 follow-up’s fortunes nosedived in the second half. Lawrence finished in the same QBR position (17th) as 2022, but after the team gave the fourth-year passer a $55MM-per-year deal, it stands to reason it expects a jump from the former elite prospect.

If Taylor lands another shot as the team’s play-caller, it will certainly come with high stakes for the 36-year-old assistant. Pederson showed enough confidence in Taylor he wanted to promote him to OC in Philly following the 2020 season. Eagles ownership disagreed, leading to Pederson’s dismissal two years after Super Bowl LII.

When addressing the events of last season as a whole, Khan called it an “organizational failure.” The Jags, who also made franchise-tagged defender Josh Allen the NFL’s second-highest-paid edge rusher, have one 10-win season during Khan’s 12-year ownership tenure.

“Injuries are a part of the game. We had some of those injuries, but I think it’s organizational failure that it happened,” Khan said. “All of these players I talked to, it’s like how could this happen? What happened?

“For me, it’s really a cause for self-reflection and then something good to come out of it because we just can’t have that this year.”

Pederson’s first season gave Khan some cover for his disastrous Urban Meyer decision, one he backtracked on in less than a year. Although Khan fired Meyer and 2012 hire Mike Mularkey after one season, the Jags owner gave Doug Marrone four-plus seasons and Gus Bradley nearly four years despite the latter’s tenure producing a historically bad .226 win percentage. But the Jags have been one of the NFL’s worst franchises under Khan’s ownership.

The Pederson-Lawrence partnership represents a gateway to potential contender status, and were Khan to fire the former Super Bowl-winning HC, it would tie the franchise quarterback — the only one left standing with his original team from 2021’s five-QB first round — to a third offensive scheme in five seasons. This is a rather deep AFC, however, and it will be challenging for the Jaguars to infiltrate the conference’s top tier. The team will hope a Lawrence leap can elevate the roster, one that added two new wide receivers (Gabe Davis, first-rounder Brian Thomas Jr.) and veteran linemen in Arik Armstead and Mitch Morse, this offseason.

AFC Staff Rumors: Canada, Steelers, Shaw, Broncos, Chargers, Jaguars, Titans

June 26th, 2024 at 2:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Steelers opted for an outside OC hire, adding Arthur Smith, but both halves of their interim setup from last season — Eddie Faulkner and Mike Sullivan — remain with the team. Sullivan drew OC interest elsewhere, after calling the plays for a Mason Rudolph-led offense that ended up in the playoffs, but he is in place as a Steelers senior offensive assistant. Faulkner remains the team’s RBs coach. Smith should be considered likely to include the duo in his game plans, per The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly, who adds ousted OC Matt Canada was not known for a collaborative approach. Canada did not receive input from staffers especially well, Kaboly notes, before becoming the historically rare Steelers assistant fired in-season.

Here is the latest from AFC coaching staffs and front offices:

  • One of the Broncos‘ HC candidates in 2023, David Shaw is now in place to work remotely as a staffer under Sean Payton and George Paton. Shaw has coached with the former (on Ray Rhodes‘ 1997 Eagles staff) and began communicating with the GM more often since the January 2023 interview. Months after the longtime Stanford HC’s interview, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes he expressed an interest to Paton regarding work in NFL personnel. During the time between his Broncos connections, Shaw interviewed for the Chargers and Titans’ HC jobs. The Paton conversations, with likely help from the Stanford ties owners Greg Penner and Condoleezza Rice have, led to the longtime Stanford coach landing with the AFC West franchise.
  • Elsewhere on the Broncos’ staff, InsidetheLeague.com’s Neil Stratton notes Ty Murphy has moved from scouting intern to pro scout. Murphy initially caught on with the team in July 2023.
  • Four years ago, the Chargers were new on the analytics front. They hired Aditya Krishnan to lead that department in February 2020. Early in Jim Harbaugh‘s tenure, the Bolts are moving in a different direction. Krishnan, who held the title of football research and analytics director, is no longer with the team, according to ESPN.com’s Seth Walder. While new regimes shake up staffs, it will be interesting to see how Harbaugh goes about assembling an analytics department in Los Angeles.
  • The Jaguars are also losing an experienced staffer. Brian Squeglia, who worked as an area scout for the past six years and spent eight seasons in Jacksonville, is leaving the team, per Stratton. Squeglia is set to remain in the industry but is not planning to work for another team presently.
  • The Titans added two staffers recently, with Walder indicating they hired Erin Psajdl Davis and Alex Rogers as analysts. Psajdl Davis comes over from the Chiefs, having worked on the business side in Kansas City. She previously held a football-related role in Houston. Rogers interned for the Saints previously.
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