Jaguars week in quotes: ‘Negotiations will continue’

The Jaguars have been busy as the team positions themselves for free agency and the NFL Draft.

This week was all about contracts – or lack thereof – as the Jacksonville Jaguars make roster decisions ahead of free agency and the NFL Draft. Here are the soundbites of the last seven days:

“Negotiations will continue”

We start with Trent Baalke wielding the franchise tag on linebacker Josh Allen. The leader of the Jaguars defense last campaign, Allen registered 17.5 sacks in 2023 – tied for second in the NFL. It was a timely breakout campaign for the fifth-year veteran, who the team was hoping to tie down to a long-term deal before the tag deadline arrived. Unfortunately, that never materialized, and the non-exclusive tag was indeed placed on Allen, keeping him in Jacksonville for another 12 months to the tune of $24m. Baalke had this to say about the decision:

“We were not able to reach agreement on a contract extension with Josh before today’s deadline, and thus, we have tagged him. We certainly value Josh’s leadership on the field, in the locker room and in the community. Our objective to keep Josh in Jacksonville in the coming years remains unchanged and negotiations will continue.”

With Allen expressing interest in remaining with the Jags, hopes are high that this arrangement is short-lived and a long-term agreement will be reached.

“He would be the No.1 wide receiver on several teams’ FA board”

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The problem with the franchise tag, is you only have one of them. And using the tag on Allen meant that the team was unable to place it on Calvin Ridley. The wide receiver is another player with an expiring contract that the Jaguars would like to keep around – but now run the risk of him hitting the open market. And according to NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe, there is going to be a significant market for his services:

“With [Ian Rapaport] reporting Jaguars placing franchise tag on LB Josh Allen — WR Calvin Ridley is trending toward reaching free agency and he would be the No.1 wide receiver on several teams’ FA board, per sources, with multiple teams expected to be willing to pay Ridley WR1 money.”

With significant money already invested in the receiving corps, will the Jags be competitive in such a market? Ridley – who racked up more than 1,000 yards in his first season back on the gridiron – is expected to earn himself a deal somewhere in the region of $22m a year according to Spotrac’s Michael Ginnitti – with up to $42m guaranteed if it’s a three-season contract. The front office’s inability to sign Allen before the tag deadline may have shifted the team’s focus significantly this offseason.

“Williams isn’t, and has never been, this type of cornerback”

One name that definitely won’t be back in 2024 is Darious Williams. The veteran cornerback had an excellent season last year, notching four interceptions for the Jags – but was released on Wednesday as part of a ruthless cull on defense that included departures for Rayshawn Jenkins and Foley Fatukasi. Despite the strong showing in 2023, John Shipley points out that Williams’ age and style of play were both aspects of the decision made – a decision we perhaps should have all seen coming:

“[Williams] was the Jaguars’ second-best defender after Josh Allen, but all of this became a moot point for several reasons. Williams’ age was one factor considering he is near the age where cornerbacks start declining. The money was a factor, too, since the Jaguars saved over $10 million with the move. With this in mind, the biggest reason Williams won’t be a Jaguar next year is because of his fit, or lack thereof, in Ryan Nielsen’s scheme. Williams is best as an off-coverage cornerback who can play with his eyes on the quarterback. Nielsen’s scheme demands its cornerbacks to press receivers at the line of scrimmage and play with their back to the quarterback. Williams isn’t, and has never been, this type of cornerback.”

Williams will be fondly remembered in Duval County – and particularly by Jags fans in the UK too, who saw him return an interception for a Touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons at Wembley Stadium.

“It ended up being a good trade for both sides”

We end with Baalke finally spending some money; on Thursday, the team announced they had come to terms with offensive lineman Ezra Cleveland. Cleveland came to Jacksonville via a midseason trade with the Minnesota Vikings, and will now man the left guard position for the Jags going forward after signing a three year deal worth $9.5m a season. Undoubtedly a shrewd bit of business by the front office, the trade saw some raise eyebrows in Minnesota – as the Vikings Wire’s Tyler Forness explains:

“When the move was made, it was an odd one on the surface because Cleveland was the starter at left guard. Dalton Risner stepped in and it was a signal that Cleveland wasn’t a part of the long-term plans for the Vikings. On top of the compensation, the move saved around $1 million in salary cap space. Even so, trading him for a sixth-round pick, which was from the Carolina Panthers, felt like a slight return.”

However, Forness goes on to say that this, in fact, was one of the rare cases of a win-win trade for both parties. His explanation is based a lot on projection, but basically suggests that the value of a fifth round pick in 2025 equals a sixth round pick in 2024 – and the sixth round selection they get off the Jags will be higher than a compensatory one in the same round:

“On Thursday morning, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Cleveland signed a three-year, $28.5 million deal. That would have earned the Vikings a projected fifth-round pick in the compensatory formula. If the Vikings were to get a compensatory pick, it would be in 2025, which right now is worth one round less, a compensatory sixth-round pick. Future draft picks are devalued by a round because they are a future asset. Taking the top pick in the sixth round is a positive gain for the Vikings. It would have been nice to get a larger return in real-time (a fourth-round pick felt like good value), but the market can be fishy like that. It ended up being a good trade for both sides.”

So there you have it. The Jags have a new left guard, and the Vikings somehow convince themselves they did the right thing. Who knows what next week will bring!