The Jacksonville Jaguars were among the teams with the most cap space this offseason and they wasted no time making good use of it, going on a shopping spree in free agency. The fact that they didn’t face any tough decisions with their own players helped but next year might be a bit different.
The Jags are set to be around $18 million over the cap next year, per Over The Cap. The top brass will surely find a way to get out of the red in time with some smart accounting. And one thing that could give them some breathing room is giving players new deals to lower their cap hit in 2023. With that in mind, here are four Jaguars that could earn a massive contract extension next offseason.
No. 4 Jaguars player who may get a contract extension: DaVon Hamilton, DT
The 2020 season is one the Jaguars would surely like to forget. They were off to a great start, beating the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1. However, they failed to win another game that year and finished with the worst record in the league. Having said that, not everything was doom and gloom and there are a few bright spots. Yes, you need to scratch the bottom of the barrel to find them but there were definitely good things, including the play of defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton.
A third-round selection in the 2020 draft, Hamilton was part of the defensive line rotation from Day 1 and was eventually promoted to the starting lineup. He got progressively better as the year progressed before a knee injury cut his rookie campaign short. The former Ohio State Buckeye was back in 2021 and was again a key cog in Jacksonville’s defensive front.
Hamilton should get even better in Year 3 and with Adam Gotsis and Malcom Brown scheduled to walk away next year, he might get an even bigger role up front. This could lead the Jaguars’ brass to give Hamilton a contract extension to ensure he remains in Jacksonville for years to come.
No. 3 Jaguars player who may get a contract extension: Dan Arnold, TE
The Jags have invested meaningful resources in their tight end room over the last two years. Last offseason, they signed Chris Manhertz. They then traded for Dan Arnold once the regular season started and inked Evan Engram earlier this year. The three of them will give the Jags’ a well-rounded group in 2022 but all of them are set to become free agents next year.
Engram is the most accomplished of the three, having made the Pro Bowl in 2020. If the former New York Giant lives up to expectations, he will be in high demand next year, which could in turn make it cost-prohibitive to re-sign him. Arnold will also be playing for a contract extension and may very well get one from the Jaguars if he builds off his 2021 campaign.
An undrafted free agent in 2017, Arnold spent time with the New Orleans Saints and the Arizona Cardinals before signing with the Carolina Panthers as a free agent last offseason. His tenure in Carolina didn’t last much though, as he was traded in exchange for cornerback C.J. Henderson after Week 3. The tight end went on to have an immediate impact, catching two passes for 29 yards in his debut with the Jags, just three days after being traded.
Arnold’s playing time and carries progressively increased and became one of Trevor Lawrence’s most trusted targets before suffering an MCL injury in Week 12 that ended his season prematurely. He will lose snaps to Engram but should be still productive, which will help him earn an extension next year.
No. 2 Jaguars player who may get a contract extension: James Robinson, RB
There might not have been a more underappreciated player on the Jaguars’ roster over the last two years than James Robinson. The former Illinois State Redbird was one of the few bright spots on Jacksonville’s offense in 2020, totaling 1,414 yards from scrimmage, the most by an undrafted rookie in league history. But in spite of his accomplishments during his rookie season, the team’s brass went on to take Travis Etienne with the 25th overall pick in last year’s draft.
Unfortunately, Etienne suffered a Lisfranc injury that forced him to sit out his whole rookie campaign. But even without Etienne out of the picture, Robinson didn’t get many carries early in the 2021 season and never got more than 18 despite the fact that he was highly productive with the ball on his hands. To make matters worse, he tore his Achilles in Week 16 and is still recovering from the injury, which puts his return for training camp in question.
On the bright side, Robinson hasn’t had any setbacks and is already doing some light work. The Jaguars will most likely err on the side of caution and won’t force his return. Nevertheless, he should be back at some point of the 2022 regular season and once he’s back in the fold, he will pick up where he left off.
Robinson is slated to make $895,000 yards in 2022 and is due for a hefty raise. If he plays the way he was these past two years, the Jags might be better off agreeing to a contract extension, so they don’t have to worry about one of their top players potentially leaving.
No. 1 Jaguars player who may get a contract extension: Josh Allen, OLB
This list wouldn’t be complete without outside linebacker Josh Allen, who is one of those rare first-round selections former general manager Dave Calwell got right during his eight-year tenure in Jacksonville. The former Kentucky Wildcat had an impact right off the bat, logging 10.5 sacks and two forced fumbles during his rookie campaign.
Caldwell traded Yannick Ngakoue and Calais Campbell in the 2020 offseason, which pressed Allen into a bigger role in his second NFL season. However, a knee injury held him back for most of the year and limited him to just eight games and a measly 2.5 sacks. Fully healthy in 2021, he was off to a strong start, registering 5.5 sacks in the first eight games. Unfortunately, he faded down the stretch. On the bright side, he posted two sacks in the season finale, showing he could play at a high level.
Allen is a player the Jaguars can build around and while he hasn’t been as consistent as the team would like, the organization didn’t put him in a position to succeed until this offseason. Jacksonville made several additions to their front seven over the last few months and with more talent up front, opposing offenses will have a tougher time neutralizing Allen. Moreover, there’s now a stabilizing presence in head coach Doug Pederson.
The Jags showed they value Allen when they picked up the fifth-year option in his rookie deal. And if he becomes the playmaker they thought he was when they drafted him seventh overall in 2019, they will have no option but to give him a massive extension next year.