Arden Key and Evan Engram eager to build on Jaguars 2022 success

The Jacksonville Jaguars signed defensive end Arden Key and tight end Evan Engram last offseason and they went on to fill in important roles on defense and offense, respectively. While they’re both set to become free agents once again, they just expressed the desire to return to Jacksonville and keep building on what the Jags did this past season.

Key told the local media after the loss to the Kansas City Chiefs that he’s added that he’s had preliminary talks with general manager Trent Baalke and believes he will be back.

“I definitely let him know I wanted to be here, let him know that the ball is in his court”, Key said. “Definitely want to be here, this is my home, I bought a home in Jacksonville to be here to stay, so the ball is in his court…”

“Everybody is under contract but me and 17 [Engram]. They’re gonna bring us back and we’re gonna add more to it. We’re gonna add a couple of pieces here to get us over the hump that we had this year but all in all, the same football team is coming back next year and we’re gonna better”.

Similarly, Engrams said after the game that he hasn’t started formal talks about a new deal but Jacksonville is his home and wants to return after having “the best year of my life and the most fun I’ve had in a while”. Here’s the clip, via Action Sports Jax.

Arden Key and Evan Engram must be at the top of the Jaguars priority list

Key only made three starts this past season but he appeared in all 17 games and became an important piece of the Jaguars’ pass rush rotation, registering, 4.5 sacks, 30 total tackles, four tackles for a loss, and 11 quarterback hits. His flexibility to line up at different spots also allowed defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell to look for potential mismatches.

It’s hard to tell what kind of contract Key is looking for. Last offseason, he inked a $4 million deal with the potential to make an additional $3 million on contract incentives. The fact that he’s made it clear he wants to return is a good start and that should help him find common ground with the Jaguars’ brass.

On the other hand, this isn’t the first time Engram has stated he wants to return to the Jaguars. He’s previously said that he’s open to returning, and it’s easy to see why. Besides posting career highs in catches and receiving yards in 2022, Engram broke the Jaguars’ team records for receptions by a tight end in a season, receiving yards by a tight end in a season, and receiving yards by a tight end in a single game.

The only thing that could complicate any potential contract talks between Engram and the Jags is his salary demands. Does he want a top-market deal — one that pays him like a top 5 tight end — or would he be comfortable signing a contract in the next tier down?

The Jags’ season is over. The team’s brass will probably take a break but they’ll start preparing for the offseason soon and they’ll need to decide whether they will re-sign Key and Engram. Bringing both of them back would be ideal when you take into account how much of an impact they had in 2022.