Jacksonville Jaguars Taking a Risk with Julius Thomas?

Jacksonville Jaguars general manager David Caldwell is wrapping up one of the busiest weeks in franchise history. The most prominent move of the offseason so far has been signing away Denver Broncos tight end Julius Thomas. After two monster seasons with Peyton Manning throwing him the football, the Jaguars lured away Thomas with a big contract.

Thomas is an elite player at a position of need for the Jaguars, but is he a sure thing? The guys over at Pro Football Focus don’t think so, as they gave the Thomas signing a (-0.5) grade.

"-0.5: Did You Really Need To Make That Move?Julius Thomas, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars: 5-year, $47m with $24m guaranteedImpact: No denying that Thomas has become an impact receiving tight end, finishing third in our TE receiver rankings in 2013 and 10th last year. He’s a touchdown machine undoubtedly but the Jags don’t just need a redzone threat, they need someone who will help them move the chains and you question if Thomas has proven he can be a go to guy all over the field for Blake Bortles.Value: The Jags definitely got better signing Thomas, but they sure did pay a lot to do so. Thomas will no have to prove he’s a more complete receiving tight end then he’s shown and that’s a leap of faith we’d be concerned by."

Luke Sims has already talked a little bit about Thomas being overpaid, but honestly that point is moot. The Jaguars had oodles of cap space to spend, and they managed to acquire one of the 3 best tight ends in the entire NFL at a reasonable price. Some of the logic trashing the move is complete nonsense, the most asinine point being the inevitable drop in production moving from Peyton Manning to Blake Bortles. So the Jaguars shouldn’t sign players because they have a young quarterback who is still developing?

The Jaguars aren’t really taking a risk here with Thomas. They are getting a proven receiving tight end with a contract that really won’t be too limiting in a year or two if they want to get out of it.

Next: Latest Jaguars Free Agency Signings

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