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Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence Extension Talks Progressing

May 20th, 2024 at 10:00am CST by Adam La Rose

2024 marks the first year in which Trevor Lawrence is eligible for an extension. Franchise quarterbacks often ink new deals after their first three years in the league, which puts the 2021 first overall pick on track to secure a monster second contract relatively soon.

Talks on a new deal have been taking place since at least April, and with the Josh Allen extension on the books the Lawrence situation represents Jacksonville’s top remaining financial priority. When he last spoke about the latter, general manager Trent Baalke preached patience based on the size and complexity of modern QB pacts. Things appear to be moving in a positive direction at this point, though.

During a recent SportsCenter appearance, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported negotiations between the Jaguars and Lawrence’s camp are “progressing fairly nicely” (h/t Tyler Conway of Bleacher Report). Plenty of time remains for a deal to be worked out, with the team having made the obvious decision to pick up Lawrence’s 2025 fifth-year option.

That has the 24-year-old in line to earn $22.66MM next season, although a multi-year pact will check in at a much higher rate. Fowler’s report notes a Lawrence extension will likely be valued at or above the $50MM-per-year mark. That comes as little surprise, considering the top of the QB market.

Four ascending passers (Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts) each spent time at the top of the pecking order last offseason. Their respective extensions range between $51MM and $55MM per season. Last week, Jared Goff joined that group by inking a Lions deal worth $53MM per season. Especially given the latter’s age (29), Lawrence should be set up to become the next passer clearing the $50MM AAV mark.

His rookie season did not go according to plan under Urban Meyer, but the hiring of Doug Pederson brought about a rebound the following season. The Jaguars went to the divisional round of the postseason in 2022, with Lawrence earning a Pro Bowl nod. Dealing with a number of injuries (and being forced to miss a game for the first time in his career) last season, however, things took a turn for the worse in the Clemson product’s case. He and the team struggled on offense, and a 9-8 finish was insufficient to qualify for the postseason.

With 39 interceptions and 21 lost fumbles in his career, turnovers are a reasonable concern the team will take into consideration regarding a long-term investment in Lawrence. Still, he has surpassed 4,000 passing yards in each of the past two campaigns while throwing 46 touchdown passes in that span. Jacksonville lost Calvin Ridley in free agency, but the team added Gabe Davis before selecting Brian Thomas Jr. in the first round of the draft. Lawrence will likely be counted on to guide the Jags’ new-look offense not only in 2024 and ’25, but for several years beyond that.

Latest On Jaguars’ EDGE Depth

May 18th, 2024 at 9:26am CST by Ben Levine

The Jaguars have made some notable additions to their defensive line this offseason, adding Arik Armstead via free agency and Maason Smith via the draft. However, the front office hasn’t done a whole lot to address their depth on the edge behind Josh Allen and Travon Walker.

During a conversation with Juston Lewis of the Jacksonville Florida Times-Union, assistant general manager Ethan Waugh acknowledged that the organization needs to identify at least two more pass rushers if they hope to compete for a Super Bowl.

The team’s depth is set to look a bit different in 2024. The Jaguars let K’Lavon Chaisson walk via free agency following a 2023 campaign where the edge rusher soaked up about 25 percent of the team’s defensive snaps. Further, after Yasir Abdullah got some looks on the edge as a rookie, the 2023 fifth-round pick is expected to be moved to SAM linebacker in defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen’s system.

The team’s main move at the position was extending Allen, who inked a five-year, $150MM contract with the organization, but they’ve otherwise been quiet adding players behind their starting duo. The Jaguars did bring in former Bears part-time starter Trevis Gipson, but the veteran was limited to only 76 defensive snaps in 2023. The team may end up being reliant on the free agent acquisition; the rest of the team’s depth consists of rookie seventh-round pick Myles Cole and former UDFAs like DJ Coleman and De’Shaan Dixon.

While the Jaguars could always turn to the handful of experienced veteran edge rushers who remain on the market, Waugh is confident that the team’s solution could already be on the roster.

“We added Trevis Gipson, we had some guys there,” Waugh told Lewis. “We have some guys that were on the practice squad previously, DJ Coleman types. Yasir Abdullah is playing the SAM spot, which is really kind of an edge rusher too at times. “What we want to do is see those guys fight it out and develop.

“I think you do really need to come up with four edge rushers if you want to play at a Super Bowl level, and finding guys that can affect the quarterback in waves is really key to what we’re trying to do.”

Jaguars Sign Terrell Edmunds, Tre Flowers

May 16th, 2024 at 1:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

Two veteran DBs will make mid-offseason arrivals in Jacksonville. The team reached agreements with safety Terrell Edmunds and cornerback Tre Flowers on Thursday, adding some secondary depth.

Flowers, 27, is following new Jags DC Ryan Nielsen from Atlanta. The veteran corner caught on with the Falcons, in what turned out to be Nielsen’s only Atlanta season, last May and worked as a part-time starter. Included in the October trade that sent Kevin Byard to Philadelphia, Edmunds also made a handful of starts in 2023.

This will mark a third straight year in which Flowers has signed a one-year contract. The former Seahawks draftee, who commandeered a starting spot from the jump despite being a fifth-round pick, signed a Bengals deal in 2022 and played in all 17 Falcons games last year. The Jags will give the 44-game starter a shot to vie for a role among a cornerback group that has seen some updates this offseason.

Following its Darious Williams release, the team added Ronald Darby. Although the Jags did not use a first-round pick on a corner — as rumors suggested they considered — they added pieces here in the third and fifth rounds (Jarrian Jones, Deantre Prince).

Edmunds, 27, has logged more starts as a pro. The former Steelers first-round pick worked as a regular starter from 2018-22 in Pittsburgh; last season’s four starts upped his career total to 79. The Eagles used Edmunds as a three-game starter, as they cut costs at safety by letting C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Marcus Epps walk in free agency, but included him in the pre-deadline trade that brought Byard over from the Titans. Edmunds made one start in Tennessee but played in nine games with his third NFL employer.

Operating as Minkah Fitzpatrick‘s sidekick from 2019-22, Edmunds graded as a top-40 safety (per Pro Football Focus) in 2022 and landed in the top 25 two seasons prior. Edmunds stands to have a clearer path to playing time, as the Jaguars moved on from three-year safety starter Rayshawn Jenkins and did not replace him this offseason. The team still rosters starter Andre Cisco and role player Andrew Wingard (26 career starts), but one of the team’s offseason questions involves who will start opposite Cisco.

PFF has never viewed Flowers as an upper-echelon corner, helping explain his April and May contract agreements. Both players have proven durable. Between the 2018 draftees’ 12 NFL seasons, only Flowers’ 2020 campaign (in which he missed four games) involved more than two missed games. Flowers also has changed teams in-season, being waived by the Seahawks before catching on with the Bengals — during their Super Bowl LVI-qualifying slate — and operating as a key backup.

To make room on their 90-man offseason roster, the Jaguars waived linebacker Dequan Jackson and waived wide receiver Wayne Ruby with an injury designation.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/15/24

May 15th, 2024 at 8:16pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s minor NFL moves:

Atlanta Falcons:

Denver Broncos

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Signed: Ty Summers
  • Waived with injury designation: WR Wayne Ruby

Minnesota Vikings

Lynch sat on the free agent market for quite some time, but his patience pays off. He’ll return to Minnesota for his fourth season with the team. He’s started three games for the Vikings in 28 game appearances over the last two years.

Allen, a part of Denver’s 13-man undrafted free agent class, sees a short tenure with the Broncos come to an end. Once again, he’ll be free to sign with anyone else in the NFL who may have interest.

AFC South Notes: Colts, Nabers, Texans, Jags

May 15th, 2024 at 9:57am CST by Sam Robinson

The Colts‘ wide receiver room includes two starters acquired before Shane Steichen‘s arrival — Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce — and the team made a three-year, $70MM commitment to its No. 1 target in March. Steichen is starting to put his stamp on the WR room, however, with the Colts having drafted Josh Downs in last year’s third round and Adonai Mitchell in this year’s second. As Chris Ballard continues to run Indianapolis’ draft, ESPN.com’s Stephen Holder notes Steichen “strongly advocated” for Mitchell in the second round.

Mitchell is unlikely to stroll into a starting spot early, as Holder adds the Texas product will be expected to begin training camp as the top backup behind Pittman, Pierce and Downs. But the ex-Longhorns standout’s draft slot (No. 52) suggests he will be heard from early in his career. The Colts have seen mixed results from their second-round WRs under Ballard, with Pittman shining and Parris Campbell struggling to stay on the field. Pierce (No. 53 overall in 2022) has eclipsed 500 receiving yards in each of his first two seasons. A Georgia transfer, Mitchell blazed to a 4.34-second 40-yard dash at the Combine. Although he only topped 450 receiving yards in one college season (2023, with 845 and 11 touchdowns), plenty will be expected from a Colts team that has struggled with receiver depth for most of Ballard’s GM tenure.

Here is the latest from the AFC South:

  • Staying on the WR topic, the Titans had a contingency plan in the event one of the teams above them at No. 7 zagged. The Giants were seemingly down to QB or WR at No. 6 throughout the pre-draft process, but a post-draft report suggested they were also eyeing Joe Alt. The Chargers were both connected to Alt and JC Latham at No. 5. In a scenario in which targets Latham and Alt were off the board, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes Malik Nabers would have been the Tennessee pick at 7. A Nabers choice would have left the OL-needy Titans less equipped up front, and Latham filled a bigger need. The team has since signed Tyler Boyd to team with outside targets DeAndre Hopkins and Calvin Ridley.
  • The Colts are changing some of their rookies’ positions ahead of their first NFL offseason programs. Ballard said fifth-round pick Jaylon Carlies will move from safety to linebacker, with the Indianapolis Star’s Joel Erickson indicating fifth-round safety Jaylin Simpson is sliding from safety to cornerback. Simpson has CB experience but moved to safety while at Auburn. Before Day 3 investments, the Colts did not address the cornerback position beyond Kenny Moore‘s re-signing. This leaves some uncertainty here — particularly on the outside.
  • Third-round Colts draftee Matt Goncalves spent his college career at left and right tackle, but ProFootballNetwork.com’s Adam Caplan notes the rookie will be given time at guard this offseason. The Day 2 pick will compete for a backup job as a rookie, per Holder, as it appears Indy is planning to keep its low-cost starters (Bernhard Raimann, Will Fries) in place alongside veterans Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly and Braden Smith.
  • The Texans will make an adjustment at a key front office post. The team did not renew director of pro personnel Ronnie McGill‘s contract, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes. McGill followed GM Nick Caserio from New England in 2021; the Texans had promoted him to the director post in 2022. Teams regularly make scouting adjustments post-draft, and a notable Texans hire will be on tap.
  • A scouting veteran of more than 30 years, Tom McConnaughey is retiring from his Jaguars post. The veteran staffer, who has been with the Jags since 2021, will leave after three years as a national scout with the team, InsidetheLeague.com’s Neil Stratton tweets. McConnaughey spent 26 years with the Chargers prior to moving to Jacksonville.
  • In addition to hiring A.J. Highsmith and Keenan Agnew, the Titans are adding Sam Summerville to their scouting staff. Summerville is expected to join the team as a national scout, per Stratton. The Bears recently parted ways with Summerville, a former Fritz Pollard Alliance scout of the year honoree, after 12 years.

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/13/24

May 13th, 2024 at 6:40pm CST by Ben Levine

Front offices around the NFL continue to chip away at their draft pick signings. That was no exception today, as a number of teams inked players to rookie contracts:

Cincinnati Bengals

Indianapolis Colts

  • OT Matt Goncalves (third round, Pittsburgh)
  • C Tanor Bortolini (fourth round, Wisconsin)

Jacksonville Jaguars

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

  • EDGE Jalyx Hunt (third round, Houston Christian)
  • RB Will Shipley (fourth round, Clemson)
  • WR Ainias Smith (fourth round, Texas A&M)

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

NFL Workouts: Averett, Jacobs, Harvin, Eason, Ollison

May 4th, 2024 at 5:01pm CST by Ely Allen

NFL teams often use rookie minicamp as an opportunity to bring in some veterans for workouts. Here are a few such instances of teams who invited some veteran free agents for the weekend:

  • The Steelers invited a former division-rival in cornerback Anthony Averett, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Pittsburgh acquired veteran Panthers cornerback Donte Jackson in the trade that sent Diontae Johnson to Carolina, and Jackson is expected to start across from last year’s rookie starter Joey Porter Jr. Behind them, though, the team’s depth chart shows seventh-round rookie selection Ryan Watts and last year’s seventh-round pick Cory Trice as the top backup options. After playing out his rookie contract in Baltimore, Averett played the 2022 season with the Raiders before getting place on injured reserve. He spent a little time with the 49ers in the preseason before getting signed to the Lions’ practice squad. He could provide starting, veteran experience to a young corners group in Pittsburgh.
  • The Jaguars also brought in a veteran cornerback from Detroit, inviting Jerry Jacobs, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. Despite coming in as an undrafted free agent, Jacobs started 29 of his 40 game appearances for the Lions. Jacksonville is apparently looking to add some depth to the position after replacing Darious Williams with Ronald Darby as the starter opposite Tyson Campbell.
  • The Buccaneers brought in some competition for their punter of the past two years, Jake Camarda, according to Greg Auman of FOX Sports. Tampa Bay invited former Steelers punter Pressley Harvin III after he was waived by Pittsburgh in February. Harvin isn’t likely to impact the depth chart, though, after Camarda set Tampa Bay’s franchise record for single-season punt average just last year.
  • The Packers invited an extra arm to the rookie minicamp, according to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, bringing in Jacob Eason. Green Bay just drafted Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt in the seventh round to compete with last year’s fifth-round pick Sean Clifford for the backup job. Alex McGough is also in the room but has yet to make an NFL debut despite being drafted back in 2018. Eason has in-game experience with the Colts and Panthers and could certainly find himself in the running for a roster spot with an impressive performance.
  •  Finally, the Jets brought in veteran running back Qadree Ollison, per Wilson. Ollison’s only NFL touches came over two years ago during his stint with the Falcons, so it’s unlikely that he’ll make an impact on the depth chart in a young running backs room that includes 2022 second-round pick Breece Hall, last year’s fifth-round pick Israel Abanikanda, rookie fourth-round pick Braelon Allen, and rookie fifth-round pick Isaiah Davis.

Jaguars Add 13 UDFAs

May 1st, 2024 at 11:48am CST by Sam Robinson

Now in Year 3, the Doug Pederson-Trent Baalke partnership has most of its offseason roster in place. The Jaguars agreed to terms with 13 UDFAs. Here is the Jacksonville post-draft group:

A host of small-school options populate the Jags’ list. Two of the four players who do hail from Power 5 programs — Bowman and Carter — respectively transferred from Maine and Western Michigan. Jones spent six years at Oregon, starting 32 games. The 340-pound blocker’s 14-game run at right guard last season drew first-team All-Pac-12 acclaim. Proctor started 20 games for the Buckeyes and participated at the Combine this year. Between his signing bonus and salary guarantee, Proctor is locked into $215K, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets.

Multiple teams offered Parker around $200K guaranteed, Wilson adds, noting the Jaguars secured his commitment for that amount. Parker transferred from Arkansas in 2022 and earned first-team All-Sun Belt acclaim last season, leading Appalachian State with 114 tackles. The Jags did not draft a linebacker but still roster 2022 third-rounder Chad Muma and 2023 fourth-rounder Ventrell Miller behind starters Foyesade Oluokun and Devin Lloyd.

Ruby will attempt to go from Division III to the NFL; he will do so after being the rare college player to record three 1,000-yard receiving seasons. Ruby’s 2022 at the D-III powerhouse jumps out; the 190-pound wideout totaled 105 receptions for 1,785 yards and 30 touchdown receptions. The 30 TDs were one shy of a D-III record. He followed that up with a second first-team All-American honor last season. Cephus also topped 1,100 yards last season, totaling 1,151 and 10 TDs — en route to first-team All-Conference USA honors — in 2023.

The Jags devoted nearly half their UDFA class to receiver, doing so despite adding Gabe Davis, Devin Duvernay and first-rounder Brian Thomas Jr. this offseason. The Jags also have 2023 sixth-round pick Parker Washington rostered. Competition for practice squad jobs figures to include this batch of UDFAs.

Jaguars Release WR Zay Jones, K Joey Slye

April 30th, 2024 at 9:40pm CST by Adam La Rose

Zay Jones‘ time with the Jaguars has come to an end. The veteran wideout was released by Jacksonville on Tuesday, per a team announcement.

Jones joined Jacksonville on a three-year, $24MM pact in 2022. During the first year of that accord, the 29-year-old posted career highs in receptions (82) and yards (823), scoring five touchdowns. The 2023 campaign did not go according to plan, however. Jones missed considerable time due to injury, and in December he was arrested on a misdemeanor domestic battery charge.

While the former Bill and Raider returned in time for the regular season finale, his final statline (34-321-2) reflected his time on the sidelines as well as his reduced role in Jacksonville’s offense. The team did lose Calvin Ridley in free agency, but Gabe Davis and Devin Duvernay were among the receivers added to help replace him. Jacksonville also used a Day 1 selection on LSU product Brian Thomas Jr. during the 2024 draft.

With those new faces in place, the Jags will move on and Jones will now join the list of veterans in search of a post-draft agreement. The former second-rounder was due a non-guaranteed base salary of $7MM this year, and he was set to carry a cap hit of $10.75MM. This move will generate a larger dead money charge ($6.56MM) than cap savings ($4.18MM) if processed immediately. Designating Jones a post-June 1 cut, though, would free up more than $7.7MM in space against a dead cap charge of only $3MM.

Jacksonville also announced the release of veteran kicker Joey Slye. The 28-year-old spent the past two full seasons in Washington, going a combined 44-for-54 (81.4%) on field goal attempts during that stretch. He signed with the Jaguars early in free agency after Jacksonville lost Brandon McManus to the Commanders. Before even taking part in a training camp competition, however, Slye is once again on the open market. The Jags were among the teams which selected a kicker in last weekend’s draft, adding Cam Little in the sixth round. The latter is now joined by Riley Patterson as the only two kicking options on the team’s roster.

Jaguars To Decline Mac Jones’ Fifth-Year Option

April 30th, 2024 at 3:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

Mac Jones is set to finish out his four-year rookie contract with the Jaguars, who faced three fifth-year option decisions as a result of acquiring the former Patriots first-rounder. After exercising Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne‘s options, they will make the expected call of declining Jones’.

The Jags will not extend Jones’ contract through 2025, according to ESPN.com’s Michael DiRocco. This would have meant a $25.66MM salary. Seeing as Jones is set to be Lawrence’s backup, the former No. 15 overall pick’s option loomed as a non-starter from the jump. Teams have until May 2 to exercise or decline fifth-year options on 2021 first-rounders.

[RELATED: 2025 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker]

The Patriots’ starter for most of his time in New England, Jones landed on the third tier of the option structure. The Pats were not going to exercise the former No. 15 overall pick’s option, as his play sharply declined after a promising rookie season. The former Offensive Rookie of the Year runner-up — acquired for a sixth-round pick in March — is now officially in a contract year.

Jones joins three other quarterbacks from the 2021 first round — Trey Lance, Justin Fields and now Zach Wilson — in being traded. Lawrence is the only member of that quintet who remains with his original team. The former No. 1 overall pick is also the only member of that group who saw his option exercised. That draft serves as a warning sign for teams that dived into this year’s first round for a passer; last week’s group tied 1983 for the most Round 1 passers in a draft.

As for Jones, he will attempt to move back on track in what is expected to be a season out of the spotlight. Disagreements with Bill Belichick created the perception of a frosty relationship between the Alabama alum and the former Patriots HC; the post-Belichick Pats were among the teams to acquire a quarterback in this year’s first round. As Drake Maye prepares to solidify himself as a franchise-caliber passer, Jones is at an early-career crossroads. Lawrence having only missed one NFL start points to Jones taking a reset year.

Jones, 25, was initially linked to being the 49ers’ target in 2021. That may well have been the case, but the team went with Lance. With Josh McDaniels calling the shots to close out his second stint as Patriots OC, Jones piloted the Pats to an 10-7 record and finished behind only Ja’Marr Chase in that season’s Offensive Rookie of the Year balloting. Belichick’s decision to go with Matt Patricia as OC in 2022 predictably backfired, and Jones — who joined the chorus of skeptics about the Patricia decision — drew the ire of his NFL HC for reaching out to Alabama staffers about solutions. No improvement took place under established OC Bill O’Brien, however, further tanking Jones’ value.

Jones ranked 28th in QBR last season and ended up benched for Bailey Zappe to close out the campaign. Averaging a career-low 6.1 yards per attempt, Jones threw 10 TD passes compared to 12 INTs. Going 2-9 as a starter last year, Jones spent Week 18 as the Pats’ third-stringer. The Jags have their three-year backup, C.J. Beathard, signed for the ’24 season as well. It will be interesting to see how Jacksonville’s depth chart looks come September.

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