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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.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/20/24

June 20th, 2024 at 6:41pm CST by Ely Allen

Thursday’s minor NFL transactions:

Denver Broncos

  • Waived: LB Alec Mock

Jacksonville Jaguars

Today’s minor moves are the side effects of recent signings by both teams. The Broncos needed to make room after signing recent UFL champion linebacker Dondrea Tillman. Mock, one of this year’s class of undrafted free agents, finds himself off the roster as a result. The Air Force-product will still have the option to sign with another squad this summer.

McGowan’s release comes as a result of today’s signing of Denzel Mims. The WR corps in Jacksonville will have quite a different look, besides Christian Kirk and a few other faces, but it’s quickly gotten crowded with the addition of Mims, pushing out McGowan, who signed just six days ago.

Jaguars To Sign WR Denzel Mims

June 20th, 2024 at 8:47am CST by Adam La Rose

Denzel Mims has not needed to wait long to find a new home. Shortly after being waived by the Steelers, the journeyman wideout is set to sign with the Jaguars, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.

Mims had been in Pittsburgh since early in the 2023 campaign, and while he did not see any playing time there the Steelers retained him via a futures deal. That allowed the 26-year-old the opportunity to carve out a depth roster spot in the team’s revamped receiver room, one which no longer features Diontae Johnson or Allen Robinson. With Mims unable to do so, Pittsburgh moved on from him earlier this week.

The former second-rounder failed to live up to expectations during his time with the Jets. Across three seasons in New York, Mims made just 42 catches for 676 scoreless yards. A trade to the Lions last summer appeared to open the door to a fresh start in a new setting, but he was unable to make Detroit’s roster. That resulted in an injury settlement followed by a lengthy stay on the Steelers’ taxi squad.

Jacksonville lost Calvin Ridley in free agency despite a willingness shown to re-signing him this offseason. His departure was countered by the additions of Gabe Davis and Devin Duvernay, but it came as little surprise when another move was made at the position during the draft. The Jaguars selected Brian Thomas Jr. in the first round, and he is in line to occupy a notable role as a rookie alongside Christian Kirk.

Mims will now spend training camp aiming to earn a depth spot in Duval County. With a 16.1 yards per catch average, the Baylor alum could try to establish himself as a vertical threat, although Davis and Thomas have a similar skillset in that regard. In any event, the Jags will have another option to consider during training camp and the preseason with respect to filling out their receiver room.

Jaguars Make Several Front Office Moves

June 15th, 2024 at 1:51pm CST by Ely Allen

The Jaguars have made a number of updates to their front office staff this week, per Neil Stratton of SucceedinFootball.com. These updates included five promotions, a move to different role, and one new hire.

John Stevenson, Ryan Stamper, Tyler Walker, Mickeel Stewart, and Holden McAbee are the recipients of the promotions. Stevenson has spent the past three years as a national scout for the Jaguars after six years in San Francisco. He’ll now serve as assistant director of college scouting. Stamper will take Stevenson’s old role of national scout after previously serving as director of player assessment. This will be his fourth season with Jacksonville after joining from Ohio State.

Walker, Stewart, and McAbee have all been promoted to college scouts. Walker has spent the last three years as a scouting assistant after time at Oregon. Similarly, Stewart was a scouting assistant, joining the team in 2022 after a little over a year at West Virginia. McAbee also moves up from a scouting assistant role he’s held for two years. He previously served as director of player personnel at Gardner-Webb University.

After 17 years with the Jaguars working in college scouting, Jason DesJarlais will become a pro scout. He joined the team in 2006 as a scouting intern before moving into a role as the BLESTO scout for the southeast and midwest areas. Prior to his time in Duval, DesJarlais was a special teams coordinator and defensive assistant at Yale.

The new hire in the group is Max Rosenthal. After a playing career as a fullback and tight end at Michigan State and Illinois, Rosenthal worked as an offensive and special teams quality control coach with the Illini, helping out specifically with the tight ends group. Now he makes his way to Jacksonville for a scouting assistant position, filling one of the roles vacated by Walker, Stewart, and McAbee.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/14/24

June 14th, 2024 at 6:41pm CST by Ely Allen

Friday’s minor NFL transactions:

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Signed: WR Praise Olatoke

New Orleans Saints

Olatake joins the Chargers offense as a member of the league’s International Player Pathway Program. Born in Nigeria, Olatoke was raised in Scotland before attending Ohio State as a sprinter in track and field. Olatoke clearly possesses next level speed, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors while posting a 10.27-second 100-meter dash time, but doesn’t have much competitive football experience. In fact, the Olatoke’s only experience playing football was on the Ohio State club team. Truly an inspiration for club players everywhere.

Brewer lands on injured reserve but does so without an injury designation. If Brewer plans to play in the backup role he held last year, he’ll now need to reach an injury settlement with the team in order to do so.

Jaguars, Trevor Lawrence Finalize Extension

June 14th, 2024 at 1:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

JUNE 14: Further details on the Lawrence accord have emerged. To no surprise, the pact contains a no-trade clause, as first reported by CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones. The cash flow through the first new year consists of $82.66MM, which falls short of the Burrow pact.

Still, Lawrence has secured a long-term Jags commitment with this pact. PFT’s Mike Florio details that the first three years consist of fully guaranteed base salaries along with $35MM option bonuses locked in at signing. Of the $41MM he is due in 2027, $29MM is already guaranteed. Another $12MM will shift from an injury to a full guarantee in 2026. Likewise, his 2028 option bonus ($35MM) and salary ($11MM) will vest one year early. $6MM in incentives as well as non-guaranteed 2029 and ’30 salaries round out the monster investment.

JUNE 13: Another domino in the quarterback market will fall in Jacksonville. Weeks ahead of training camp, Trevor Lawrence‘s extension is done. It will match Joe Burrow‘s NFL contract record.

The former No. 1 overall pick agreed to a five-year, $275MM extension Thursday, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. The deal will include $200MM guaranteed in total and $142MM guaranteed at signing. Part of the guarantee will come from a $37.5MM signing bonus, Rapoport adds, spreading out the quarterback’s cap hits.

The latter two marks are not NFL standards, but at $55MM per year, Lawrence has checked in alongside the player chosen first overall a year before him. Since the Jaguars picked up Lawrence’s fifth-year option, his extension will run through the 2030 season. Lawrence joins Patrick Mahomes as the only players signed into the 2030s.

This certainly marks a pivotal offseason for the Jaguars, who reached a lucrative extension with Josh Allen not long after franchise-tagging their top pass rusher. New deals for Lawrence and Allen will change the equation for the Jags, who could not do too much to capitalize on their quarterback’s rookie contract. Though, the Jags had sunk low before landing Lawrence and did not begin a legitimate recovery effort until the QB’s second season, as the Urban Meyer year kept the franchise in the NFL’s basement.

Lawrence, however, has shown promise under Doug Pederson. The Clemson product best displayed his talents during the second half of the 2022 season, which brought a Jags surge to the AFC South title and a 27-point comeback over the Chargers in the wild-card round. The team did not build on this last season, collapsing down the stretch — as Lawrence battled multiple injuries — and missing the playoffs. Pederson and Trent Baalke will now be tasked with forming a winning team around a $55MM-per-year quarterback contract.

In terms of guarantees, Lawrence’s marks check in third in both categories. No one has come close to approaching the $230MM fully guaranteed Deshaun Watson commanded from the Browns; Burrow came closest, at $146.5MM. Lawrence’s full guarantee checks in between Burrow and Lamar Jackson ($135MM). His total guarantee comes in between Burrow’s ($219MM) and Justin Herbert‘s ($193.7MM). Lawrence has not reached the heights of any QB in this salary range, counting Watson’s Texans success, so this deal represents good news for the likes of Tua Tagovailoa and Jordan Love. It also will help Dak Prescott gain more leverage in his latest talks with the Cowboys.

The salary cap’s record rise to $255.4MM — a $30MM-plus increase — placed this QB contingent as clear candidates to join the $50MM-AAV club, which formed last year when Jackson, Herbert, Burrow and Jalen Hurts each signed extensions. Jared Goff signed an extension that made him second only to Burrow in the league; the Lions QB drops to third after this Lawrence agreement.

Lawrence joined Burrow, Herbert and a host of other first-round QBs in the rookie-scale era to sign an extension before his fourth season. This both locks the Jaguars centerpiece into a veteran salary (as opposed to a $1.1MM number he was previously due in 2024) during his first offseason of extension eligibility, but it stands to help the team through a long-term lens. It gives Jacksonville seven years of control on its quarterback.

Mahomes’ outlier contract, in place since 2020, runs through 2031. QBs have steered clear of any extension of that length. But the Burrow, Herbert and Lawrence accords tie the QBs to their teams for seven years. Lawrence’s contract going through 2030 gives the Jags some cost certainty for the foreseeable future. As the cap keeps climbing, that will help the team’s cause — even if it will mean a tougher go through a roster-building standpoint in the short term.

Lawrence’s poor rookie-year showing under Meyer and injury-plagued 2023 did not give the Jags an extensive sample of success, making this megadeal stand out from some of the other monster pacts awarded to QBs in the recent past. They could have conceivably, as the Dolphins did with Tagovailoa, made Lawrence go through a “prove it” Year 4 season. But they will act early, having begun extension talks in February. Baalke confirmed ownership and Pederson were involved in the talks, and the parties crossed the finish line during minicamp week.

Lawrence, 24, came into the NFL with a flashy prospect profile; he played out his final season at Clemson as the clear-cut favorite to be chosen first overall in 2021. After the Jets started 0-13 in 2020, it looked like the Dabo Swinney charge would be Big Apple-bound. But two late-season wins from Gang Green gave the Jaguars, who finished 1-15, the right to pick first the following April. While Meyer was calling the shots at that point, Baalke was starting his GM tenure.

That 2021 draft, which came amid the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, featured memorable whiffs in the first round. The other four teams that chose first-round QBs that year — the Jets (Zach Wilson), 49ers (Trey Lance), Bears (Justin Fields) and Patriots (Mac Jones) — traded away those passers. Lawrence has not been a top-tier QB by any means, but he has managed to stick in Jacksonville and show enough to earn this contract. The Jags are certainly betting his best seasons are ahead.

In terms of QBR, Lawrence has finished 28th, 17th and 17th from 2021-23. He memorably threw one touchdown pass from Halloween to New Year’s Day during a miserable 2021 Jags season, and the 2022 team started 3-7. But Lawrence guided the Jags to comeback wins over the Cowboys and Ravens down the stretch, pairing well with a veteran receiving corps. He fired TD passes to all four of his top targets in the comeback win over the Bolts and put a scare into the No. 1-seeded Chiefs in a narrow divisional-round loss.

Last season brought a step back, as Pederson gave play-calling duties to OC Press Taylor. Lawrence finished with 21 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions — after assembling a 25-8 ratio in 2022 — and was present for a collapse in which the Jags sank from 8-3 to 9-8. While Lawrence has displayed plus durability as a pro, he missed his first game last season. Lawrence sustained knee and ankle sprains, playing through both, before suffering an AC joint injury and a concussion late in the season. His injuries undoubtedly affected the Jags, though the team gutted its defensive staff as a result of the downturn.

This offseason, the Jags also revamped Lawrence’s pass-catching corps. They signed Bills deep threat Gabe Davis and attempted to keep Calvin Ridley. It would have been more difficult for the Jags to re-sign Ridley, given where his market went, and then pay Lawrence. The team still carries Christian Kirk‘s $18MM-per-year deal. Ridley joined the Titans on a four-year, $92MM pact, and the Jags opted for more help in the draft by using their first-round pick on LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr. — last season’s Division I-FBS receiving TDs leader (17). Thomas’ rookie contract will pair well with Lawrence’s extension, as the Jags also have Evan Engram signed to a top-10 tight end contract.

The Jags will face some pressure to make this contract pay off. While Lawrence has been by far the best QB from the 2021 class, he has not submitted a top-shelf season like the rest of the members in the NFL’s $50MM-AAV club. Pederson, Taylor and Co. will need to see that he does to make this contract worthwhile.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/12/24

June 12th, 2024 at 6:33pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are Wednesday’s minor NFL moves:

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Released (with injury settlement): CB Luq Barcoo

Seattle Seahawks

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/7/24

June 7th, 2024 at 6:53pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor moves as we head into the weekend:

Cleveland Browns

Jacksonville Jaguars

Philadelphia Eagles

After getting drafted in the third round out of Ohio State, Davis has yet to make a start in his first three seasons. Despite competing for a starting job in the offseason before his sophomore campaign in Minnesota, Davis was waived as part of the team’s final roster cuts. Since then, he’s bounced around from the Giants to the Saints, Cardinals, and back to New York. He’ll now add some depth in Cleveland.

Anderson finds his away to Jacksonville shortly after getting waived by the division-rival Colts yesterday. The Texas Tech-product saw his biggest contribution in 12 games with two starts in 2022 for the Giants.

Like Davis and Anderson, Nickerson has bounced between several teams since entering the NFL. After being drafted by the Jets in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft, Nickerson has spent a year apiece with New York, the Jaguars, the Packers, the Vikings, and most recently, the Dolphins, also spending part of 2019 with the Seahawks. He joins his seventh team in six years with Philadelphia.

Jaguars Sign Round 1 WR Brian Thomas Jr.

June 7th, 2024 at 3:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

A day after the Jaguars inked second-round pick Maason Smith, they have their top pick locked in. The team announced Brian Thomas Jr. has agreed to terms on his rookie deal Friday.

Chosen 23rd overall, Thomas will be tied to a four-year deal that comes fully guaranteed. The Jaguars will have the option of extending the wide receiver’s contract through 2028 via the fifth-year option. The first of the Jags’ three LSU draftees this year will move forward as the team’s centerpiece of an offseason receiver overhaul.

The Jags have swapped out Calvin Ridley and Zay Jones for Thomas and free agent pickup Gabe Davis. Christian Kirk remains attached to the four-year, $72MM deal he signed in 2022, but his complementary crew has changed. The Jags also added former Ravens All-Pro return man/part-time wideout Devin Duvernay. Ridley joined the Titans, despite a Jags offer, in free agency. Jacksonville released Jones shortly after the draft; he has since committed to Arizona.

Linked to eyeing receivers and cornerbacks in the draft, the Jags went with a 6-foot-3, 209-pound pass catcher. They did so after trading the No. 17 overall pick to the Vikings, sliding down six spots and picking up additional draft assets in doing so. The Vikings sent the Jags No. 167, along with third- and fourth-round picks in the 2025 draft, to move up for Dallas Turner. Trent Baalke‘s team will reap the benefits of that deal next year while hoping Thomas can provide immediate production alongside their veteran WR cadre.

Thomas and fellow first-round wideout Malik Nabers teamed to help Jayden Daniels soar to Heisman honors last season. A bigger target than the No. 6 overall pick, Thomas also used last season to build a Round 1 profile. Not topping 400 receiving yards in either of his first two LSU campaigns, Thomas broke through for 1,177 yards and a Division I-FBS-most 17 touchdown receptions. No other player notched more than 15 receiving TDs last season. Thomas subsequently improved his draft stock by running a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the Combine.

Averaging 17.1 yards per catch in 2023, Thomas joins Davis as a deep threat for Trevor Lawrence. This will also qualify as a cheaper WR trio for the Jags, as Ridley was tied to a fifth-year option last season and Jones an $8MM-per-year deal. Davis did sign a three-year, $39MM deal — one packed with three void years to keep the cap hits down — but Thomas will be tied to a rookie deal for four years. Considering only two teams in the fifth-year option era have extended a first-round wideout with two years of rookie-contract control remaining, it represents a safe bet the Jags will ride out Thomas’ rookie deal through 2027.

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