Jacksonville Jaguars officially sign Abry Jones
By Daniel Lago
The Jacksonville Jaguars symbolically begun their offseason on Wednesday by officially announcing the re-signing of defensive tackle Abry Jones.
Yesterday, reports were dropping that the Jacksonville Jaguars were close to locking up young defensive tackle Abry Jones to a contract extension. Those reports were confirmed on Wednesday as the team officially announced the signing.
Mike Kaye of First Coast News broke the details of the contract as well.
#Jaguars & Abry Jones are closing in on a 4 year deal worth just under 16 million with $6.5 million guaranteed, per multiple league sources.
— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) February 14, 2017
The numbers are very reasonable for what should be an above average starter along the defensive line.
As the statement notes, Jones is a homegrown talent who has emerged despite being undrafted out of Georgia. Mostly a rotational piece over his first few year, Jones emerged in 2016 as one of the better run-stuffing defensive tackles in the league. Jones flashed some pass rushing ability as well, displaying the kind of effort and disruption that should earn him plenty of playing time in 2017.
As Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union discussed in his piece, re-signing Jones now is a savvy move that keeps the market from driving up his value.
"Jones re-signing before free agency was convenient for both player and team – Jones signed early to guarantee financial security and the Jaguars don’t have the risk of another team offering Jones an above-market deal."
O’Halloran also mentions the implications of the contract for Roy Miller, a stalwart in the middle of the defensive line over the last few years.
"Jones’ return leaves Miller’s status in doubt. Coming off a major injury, he is scheduled to count $4.16 million on the cap this year. The Jaguars can afford that and Miller could return if they feel he’s healthy and can be productive."
Moving forward, the Jaguars now have some decisions to make on players due to receive big money. Jared Odrick could be a roster cut if the team wants to move in a direction where they focus on adding pure edge rushers. Kelvin Beachum also has an option the team needs to decide to pick up or not.