Andrew Norwell’s season to help the Jacksonville Jaguars get better

Will Andrew Norwell prove his worth to the Jacksonville Jaguars this season after being part of NFL.com’s “All-Paid” team for 2020?

Being paid as the highest guard in the league may not be something Jacksonville Jaguars left guard Andrew Norwell wants to be known for. Coming off an All-Pro season with the Carolina Panthers, right in time for free agency, the 28-year-old has been just average at best in his first two seasons with the franchise.

And with changes for this season already in place and the threat of more changes after the 2020 campaign, Norwell and his teammates are facing the possibility of this being their last in black and teal.
The former Ohio State star was named to NFL.com’s “All-Paid” team this past week.

Norwell, who will line up in between Cam Robinson at tackle and Brandon Linder at center and prove he is worth the cash put in front of him by the Jacksonville Jaguars front office this season.

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"“The Jaguars made 2017 first-team All-Pro Andrew Norwell the NFL’s highest-paid left guard in 2018. Since putting pen to paper, Norwell has been PFF’s 30th-ranked player at the position,” Anthony Holzman-Escareno wrote.”"

Norwell isn’t the only player from the Jaguars roster who should be put on notice to perform after signing a big deal. Last offseason, the team inked linebacker Myles Jack to a huge contract extension while the team had not gotten a deal done with defensive end Yannick Ngakoue.

Jack underperformed last season after he moved to middle linebacker in the team’s defensive scheme. He signed a four-year, $57,000,000 contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars, however, there is an out clause after this season. He will earn a base salary of $12.750M in 2020.

Norwell became the highest-paid guard in the league once he signed his deal with the Jaguars. His pay does not match his play. The 2019 version was better than that of 2018 where he was also injured at the end of the season and placed on the injured reserve list. The Jaguars coaching staff believes the offensive line will be better this season. Norwell must be a big part of that growth and development.

"“Although all of Norwell’s $30 million in full guarantees were in the first two seasons, the Jaguars decided to keep Norwell for 2020,” Holzman-Escareno wrote. The team did, however, restructure his contract in April, reducing his base salary from $11.5 million to $9 million, converting the difference into incentives.”"

The Jaguars offensive line gave up 41 sacks last season. The unit did help running back Leonard Fournette run for 1,152 yards last season, his best as a pro in the NFL.