Jacksonville Jaguars News: CB Shaquill Griffin to sign with the team

The Jacksonville Jaguars secondary wasn’t the weakest spot on the team but certainly needed an upgrade throughout the free agency period and in the draft. The Jaguars have a promising young cornerback in C.J. Henderson and re-signed two of their own in Tre Herndon and Sidney Jones IV.

As day two of the legal tampering period has begun, the Jaguars made their biggest splash in free agency yet and agreed to terms with former Seattle Seahawks corner Shaquill Griffin. Griffin will get a three-year, $44.5 million deal in Jacksonville with $29 million guaranteed.

Griffin played college football for the University of Central Florida Knights (UCF). During his time there, he had decent production and went on to become a top performer at the NFL Scouting Combine in his position group. He was drafted by the Seahawks in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

He entered his rookie year as the fourth cornerback on the depth chart but eventually worked his way into starting rotation after the Seahawks cornerback room was hit with the injury bug. He was elected to the Pro Bowl in 2019 as an alternate and finished his career in Seattle with 249 combined tackles, one sack, and six interceptions.

Griffin is a great player who still has untapped potential and is a significant loss for the Seahawks. However, it is understandable to see what went behind Seattle’s decision to not re-sign him. While they did want to retain Griffin, it had to be for the right price and Griffin wanted too much for what they could offer him.

During Griffin’s four-year career in the NFL, while he has flashed top-corner potential, he has also struggled with inconsistency.

Griffin’s individual grades from Pro Football Focus are:

• 2017: 65.3
• 2018: 54.7
• 2019: 77.0
• 2020: 64.1

Despite his struggle with consistency, an escape from Seattle’s base scheme and a fresh start in Jacksonville is something that will benefit Griffin’s development.