Jaguars TE Evan Engram makes PFF’s list of top free agents in 2023

Tight end Evan Engram became a playmaker for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2023, breaking several team records along the way. After betting on himself and signing a one-year deal with the Jags last offseason, Engram is slated to once again become a free agent and he will be among to top 3 players available at his position if he hits the open market.

Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus ranked the top 3 tight ends scheduled to hit free agency in March and Engram landed at No. 3. The former Ole Miss also made PFF’s list of top 50 free agents in 2023. Spielberger points out that head coach Doug Pederson has maximized his skillset and put him in a position to succeed, something his previous team, the New York Giants, didn’t always do.

"Engram landed in Jacksonville on a one-year, $9 million flier for the 2022 season after a rocky tenure with the New York Giants marred by some inopportune drops. The Giants were asking Engram to block as an inline tight end and do a lot of things that didn’t match his skill set very well, but Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson had a much better plan for him in Jacksonville, and he put up a career year in the process.Engram’s 73 receptions were tied for the third most among tight ends, his 766 receiving yards ranked fourth and his 481 yards after the catch placed second. Even with an uptick in targets, Engram had a career-low 3.9% dropped pass percentage, good for a top-15 mark among tight ends with at least 25 targets on the season."

A first-round pick in 2017, Engram was a dynamic albeit inconsistent contributor for Big Blue. However, he’s had a career year for the Jaguars, setting the franchise record for yards by a tight end in a single game, most receptions by a tight end in a season, and most receiving yards by a tight end in the offseason.

The Jaguars need to find a way to re-sign Evan Engram in 2023

The other two tight ends that landed above Engram in Spielberger’s ranking are Dalton Schultz and Mike Gesicki. I thought Schultz would have been a perfect fit for Jacksonville last year but the Dallas Cowboys slapped him with the franchise tag, which prevented him from entering the open market.

Having said that, Engram turned out to be a great pickup by general manager Trent Baalke and he will be in high demand if he becomes a free agent. Spotract projects Engram’s market value to be $7.5 million per million and expects him to sign a two-year deal worth $15.1 in free agency but he will likely command a significantly higher amount.

The top 5 salaries among tight ends in the NFL stand somewhere between $13 million and $15 million. Engram will probably (and rightfully) look for a market-value contract and although he previously said that he’s open to re-signing with the Jags, it’s hard to see him taking a hometown discount.

The Jaguars will be working with a tight budget and won’t have as much salary cap in 2023 as in other years, which could complicate Engram’s potential return to Jacksonville. On the other hand, Baalke can get creative and offer him a deal with a big signing bonus that would be paid in future years.

In the end, Engram’s return to the Jags is contingent on how much the team’s brass wants him back and finding a middle ground in contract talks. After all, Jacksonville can’t afford to overpay him and neglect other positions in the process.

If Engram and the Jaguars can’t reach an agreement, tight end then becomes a top priority for the front office in the offseason. But at this point, it doesn’t make sense to let him walk away when you consider how much of a difference Engram has become, so why start from scratch at the position?