Dante Fowler Jr. - Pro Football Rumors

Jaguars Decline Dante Fowler’s Fifth-Year Option

May 2nd, 2018 at 2:59pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars elected not to exercise the fifth-year option on defensive end Dante Fowler, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. However, he adds that the Jags still believe he’s an ascending player and hope to sign him to a long-term deal.

The decision on Fowler may have been one of the trickier calls in this year’s bunch of fifth-year options. Fowler, 24 in August, missed his entire rookie season but became a solid contributor for the team upon taking the field in 2016. Last year, he set new career highs with eight sacks and two forced fumbles.

Still, extending Fowler’s deal through 2019 would have cost the team an additional $14.2MM. The option is guaranteed for injury only, but that would have been a risky proposition in light of his 2015 ACL tear.

Fowler will return as the Jaguars’ first defensive end off of the bench behind starters Yannick Ngakoue and Calais Campbell. Campbell has three years to go on his four-year, $60MM deal with the Jaguars and the team will have to address Ngakoue’s contract after the 2019 season, so there’s definitely a limit on how much they can pay Fowler.

South Rumors: Jaguars, Hooker, Texans

April 20th, 2018 at 5:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Jaguars would have an interesting setup for Lamar Jackson, employing a recently extended starting quarterback but a long-scrutinized player whose long-term future with the team remains in doubt. Tom Coughlin said Friday the Louisville prospect was an “outstanding young man” and an “extremely talented athlete.” But Dave Caldwell said the team that pulls the trigger on Jackson would have to be ready to adjust its offense to accommodate the dual-threat talent.

“He’s a rare athlete,” Caldwell said, via Phillip Heilman of the Florida Times-Union. “As a quarterback, he’s a good player. He won a lot of games at that position. [Drafting him] depends what your scheme is, what you want to do and how you want to play and how he fits. I can’t say he’s the prototypical pocket passer, but you can win games with a guy like him.”

Jacksonville holds the draft’s No. 29 overall pick and has not conducted a workout with Jackson, who may now be a full-fledged top-20 prospect.

Here’s the latest from the South divisions:

Caldwell did not give an indication on which way he was leaning with regards to picking up Dante Fowler‘s fifth-year option. The Jacksonville GM said the team had not made a decision. Earlier today, Fowler’s price became clear. It will cost the Jaguars a massive sum ($14.2MM) to keep Fowler on their books for 2019 on his rookie contract.
On the subject of AFC South pass rushers, Brian Gaine is optimistic the Texans will extend Jadeveon Clowney this offseason. But Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports no deal is particularly close at this point. Clowney, Aaron Donald and Khalil Mack figure to see the others members of this trio’s deals affect theirs, and Von Miller may become the fourth-highest-paid defender by the time this offseason is over.
Gaine does not plan to deviate from Rick Smith‘s philosophy of setting the offseason as the window for extension agreements. John McClane of the Houston Chronicle notes the first-year Houston GM wants to finalize re-ups before the regular season. Clowney and Benardrick McKinney‘s proceedings will put this approach to the test this year.
Malik Hooker joined his Colts teammates for the start of their offseason program earlier this month but said (via Matt Taylor of Colts.com) he’s “not 100 percent by any means” as he recovers from a severe knee injury. Colts.com’s Andrew Walker writes training camp isn’t a certainty for the 2017 first-rounder, who went down in late October of last year with a torn ACL and MCL.
Former Broncos and Bears linebacker Lamin Barrow was driving the car at the time of the accident that ended with Buccaneers ‘backer Kendell Beckwith fracturing an ankle, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports. Barrow and Beckwith were LSU teammates. The crash occurred at around 1 a.m., April 12. The vehicle veered off a road and crashed into a gate, per Laine. Although authorities said Barrow did not show signs of impairment, he was given a citation for driving with a suspended license.

Latest On Jaguars’ Dante Fowler

July 19th, 2017 at 4:45pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Jaguars defensive end Dante Fowler is facing misdemeanor charges of simple battery and mischief as a result of a Tuesday arrest, but that wasn’t his first run-in with the law during his two-year NFL career. In fact, Fowler has committed 10 traffic violations since December 2015, reports Mike Kaye of First Coast News (Twitter links). What’s more, Fowler was arrested in Miami Beach in March 2016 and charged with misdemeanor counts of assaulting a police offer and resisting arrest without violence, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times.

The arrest report states that Fowler hindered police from trying to break up a crowd in front a bar, as Auman details. Fowler “ignored verbal requests to move off the road,” writes Auman, and, when an officer put his arm on Fowler’s, the Jaguar said “Get the [expletive] off me” and swung his arm backward “in an obvious attempt to strike” the officer, the report indicates. “Numerous officers” then had to escort Fowler out. Despite that, the misdemeanor charges against him were dropped in December 2016, after he completed a pretrial intervention program for first-time offenders.

Now that Fowler has multiple off-field blemishes on his resume, it could lead to a harsher punishment from the NFL. Even if the authorities let Fowler off relatively scot-free for his latest arrest, the league may hand the 22-year-old a suspension. That would temporarily deprive the Jaguars a defensive starter and represent another setback in the career of Fowler, the 2015 third overall pick who missed his rookie season with a torn ACL and was involved in an unbecoming incident last year in which he was caught on video watching a fight between his girlfriend and ex-girlfriend. The league was aware of it, calling the images “disturbing,” but it didn’t punish Fowler.

Jaguars DE Dante Fowler Arrested

July 19th, 2017 at 10:19am CST by Zachary Links

Jaguars defensive end Dante Fowler was arrested in St. Petersburg on Tuesday night, as Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times writes. He is now facing misdemeanor charges of simple battery and mischief.

According to police records obtained by Matthew Head of First Coast News (Twitter link), cops say that Fowler got out of his car and got into a verbal exchange with a man who commented on his driving. When they came face to face, the defensive end allegedly hit the man, knocked off his glasses, and stepped on them. He then proceeded to take the victim’s grocery bag and throw it in a nearby lake.

The victim was not injured and Fowler was arrested without incident. The 22-year-old is currently free after posting a small bond early Wednesday morning.

Fowler, a first-round pick out of Florida in 2015, missed his entire rookie season due to injury. When he debuted in 2016, he recorded 32 tackles and four sacks. Fowler made just one start last season, but this year he projects as a starting bookend opposite of Calais Campbell. If he misses time as a result of this incident, it will be a serious blow to the Jaguars.

Jaguars GM On Pressure, Jack, Fowler Jr.

September 10th, 2016 at 10:45am CST by Ben Levine

Dave Caldwell took over as the Jaguars general manager in 2013. Since then, the squad has gone 12-36.

Fortunately, there’s reason for optimism in Jacksonville. The offense seemed to have taken major steps forward in 2015, and 2016 will see the addition of several talented defenders. In fact, our own Zach Links picked the Jags to secure one of the AFC’s wild card spots!

Caldwell recently sat down with Ryan O’Halloran of Jacksonville.com to discuss the pressure of being a GM, as well as the additions of defenders Myles Jack and Dante Fowler Jr.. The whole interview is worth reading, but we snagged some of the more notable soundbites below…

On whether there’s additional pressure in fourth year on job:

“Not any more than the previous three years. Our pressure comes from within. … We’ve been doing this for four years, and to have a winning record is probably a reasonable expectation. I think [owner Shad Khan] will make a decision at the end of 16 games and say it’s the direction he likes or doesn’t.”

On not rushing rookie linebacker Myles Jack:

“I’m encouraged by the idea of taking a player in the second round and not needing them to be an impact player right away. That’s a good thing. When he gets on the field, he’ll be a very good player. The fact he doesn’t have to right away is a good thing for this organization.”

On Dante Fowler’s return from injury:

“It’s been truly interesting to see him come off an ACL injury like he has and have the amount of explosion and quickness and speed he possesses and not even for one second think about that injury. He’s flying around, he’s working his tail off in practice and doing a good lot things. He’s getting the rust off. Like our rookies, as the season goes along, he’s going to be a much better player.”

Extra Points: Jets, Fowler, Jaguars, Bolts

May 8th, 2016 at 4:50pm CST by Luke Adams

Jets quarterback Geno Smith, Ravens tackle Eugene Monroe, and Buccaneers cornerback Alterraun Verner are among the veteran players who may have been put on notice as a result of their respective teams’ draft picks last weekend, writes Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. PFR’s Dallas Robinson singled out all three of those players, and a handful of others, when he explored the same subject earlier in the week.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

One year ago today, Dante Fowler suffered a torn ligament in his knee, ending his rookie season before it began. The Jaguars, understandably, want to take things slowly with last year’s No. 3 overall pick. “Everything that we’ve seen, the drill work he’s done, the running, the reports we hear — he looks really good,” coach Gus Bradley said, as Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union writes. “I think he just needs reps now and that’s when it will come, in the OTAs. We’re just taking it day by day with him and seeing his conditioning level.” Fowler notched 8.5 sacks in his final season at Florida and finished his three-year Gators career with 14.5 sacks in total.
In the wake of the 2016 draft, the Chargers are the latest team to make changes to their personnel department. A source tells Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link) that San Diego’s changes will include the dismissal of at least one staff member.
Woody Paige of The Denver Post wonders if Mose Frazier will be the next great free agent to make the Broncos‘ roster. Frazier, a Memphis product, was quarterback Paxton Lynch‘s favorite target at Memphis. In the past two seasons, Frazier has caught 117 passes from the quarterback for 1,305 yards. Despite his chemistry with Lynch, he might be facing an uphill battle in Denver. As of this writing, the Broncos have eleven wide receivers under contract.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Jaguars Rumors: Fowler, M. Lewis, Gerhart

February 25th, 2016 at 3:21pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking today to reporters, including Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com (Twitter link), Jaguars general manager David Caldwell said he doesn’t expect much to come of the NFL’s investigation into the Dante Fowler Jr. video published by TMZ earlier this week. The league confirmed that it is looking into the video, noting that it contained “disturbing images,” but it sounds like the Jags GM doesn’t expect Fowler to be disciplined as a result.

Here are a few more items of interest from Caldwell’s press conference in Indianapolis today:

Caldwell hopes to have a deal done with tight end Marcedes Lewis before the new league year begins on March 9th, per DiRocco (via Twitter). While Lewis has seen his role as a pass catcher reduced in recent years, the Jaguars still need a blocking tight end to complement Julius Thomas, so if Lewis is willing to remain in that role, it makes sense that the two sides should be able to work something out.
There’s a good chance that running back Toby Gerhart will be back with the Jaguars in 2016, according to Caldwell (Twitter link via DiRocco). Gerhart has underwhelmed during his time in Jacksonville so far, but the GM thinks there will be a role for him going forward, and the team certainly has the cap space to afford him.
The Jaguars’ staff is currently evaluating whether or not defensive end Chris Clemons will remain on the team going forward, per DiRocco. According to Caldwell, the plan is to reach out to the veteran defender’s representatives soon. I identified Clemons and Gerhart as possible release candidates when I previewed the Jaguars’ offseason earlier this month.

NFL: Video Involving Jags’ Dante Fowler Jr. Contains ‘Disturbing Images’

February 23rd, 2016 at 5:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

A video involving two women fighting while Dante Fowler Jr. observes and then tries to stop the brawl surfaced today on TMZ Sports. The website refers to the women who scuffle in this video recorded at an apartment complex earlier this month as the mother of Fowler’s child and a woman believed to be Fowler’s current girlfriend

The NFL released a brief statement characterizing the video as containing “disturbing images,” (link via Hays Carlyon of the Florida Times-Union), and will review the matter.

The Jaguars’ 2015 first-round pick, Fowler does not throw a punch in the video and breaks up the fight.

According to Carlyon, this fight occurred Feb. 1. The Jaguars and Fowler released statements following the NFL’s comment, and the Jaguars’ comments indicate Fowler informed the team of the incident before the video surfaced.

“I am embarrassed and have apologized for my actions to everyone involved,” Fowler said in his statement. “As a family, we have been dealing with this moment and the conflict that led to it since this occurred. The video surfacing is a sad reminder that emotions got the best of all of us. I take 100 percent responsibility for everything that happened

No police report of this incident exists.

Fowler missed all of his rookie season due to tearing his ACL during the first day of the Jags’ rookie minicamp last spring.

Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images

AFC South Notes: Fowler, Titans, Mariota

May 12th, 2015 at 7:33pm CST by Zachary Links

After Dante Fowler’s injury, the Jaguars could have structured their contract proposal differently, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union writes. A league source tells the Jags beat writer that the team could have offered no signing bonus, made his 2015 base salary ($4.2MM) fully guaranteed, and converted the remaining $19.2MM to guaranteed cash if he was on the roster to start training camp in 2016. Those measures would have protected Jacksonville if they were worried about his rehab. However, it also would have been terrible business, and the Jaguars opted not to go that route. Here’s more from the AFC South..

Dick LeBeau, the recently hired associate head coach in charge of defense for the Titans, told reporters, including Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean (on Twitter), that the team has great quickness on the defensive line and added that he likes the mix of youth and veterans they now have in the secondary.
LeBeau added that Titans offseason addition Perrish Cox and 2013 third-round pick Blidi Wreh-Wilson will get plenty of snaps this year, Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com tweets.
Some of the rookies in the Titans‘ 2015 draft class will be putting the veterans on the spot with their arrival, Wyatt writes. Of course, that list starts with No. 2 overall pick Marcus Mariota, who figures to displace incumbent Zach Mettenberger as the starter. Meanwhile, second round choice Dorial Green-Beckham’s presence could alter Justin Hunter‘s future with the team, though I would argue that both players appear to be projects at this stage.

Jaguars, Dante Fowler Jr. Agree To Deal

May 12th, 2015 at 11:46am CST by Luke Adams

The Jaguars have reached an agreement with pass rusher Dante Fowler Jr. on his rookie contract, reports Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (via Twitter). As Garafolo notes in a second tweet, Fowler’s deal is fully guaranteed and doesn’t include offset language.

Fowler, the third overall pick last month, saw his NFL career get off to a devastating start last week when he suffered a torn ACL during the Jaguars’ rookie minicamp. The injury will sideline the Florida product for the entire 2015 season, but the fact that it happened prior to the two sides officially reaching an agreement on Fowler’s rookie contract didn’t affect the terms of the deal.

As Over The Cap details, Fowler’s four-year deal will have an overall value of $23.49MM, with a $15.344MM signing bonus. The contract, which includes a cap hit of about $4.27MM for Fowler’s rookie season, will feature a fifth-year option, allowing Jacksonville to retain the pass rusher through at least the 2019 season.

Fowler is the first of eight Jacksonville draft picks to strike a deal with the team, but the rest should follow suit shortly.