Jacksonville Jaguars opt for continuity at RB, re-sign JaMycal Hasty

A couple of weeks before free agency, the Jacksonville Jaguars are re-signing their own players. They started with backup quarterback C.J. Beathard. Next was defensive end Roy Robertson-Harris and they’ve now continued with running back JaMycal Hasty.

The Jags announced on their official website that they’ve given contract extensions to Robertson-Harris and Hasty. Mike Garafolo of NFL Media had previously reported Saturday that the former had gotten a three-year deal worth $30 million. However, the structure of the contract remains unknown as of this writing. The same is true for Hasty’s deal.

After going undrafted in 2020, Hasty signed with the San Francisco 49ers, where he spent his first two NFL seasons. He was waived before the start of the 2022 campaign and was picked up by the Jaguars.

The former Golden Bear hardly got any playing time early in the year but saw an uptick in carries when Jacksonville traded James Robinson after Week 7. He finished the 2022 season with 46 carries for 194 yards with two rushing touchdowns. His 61-yard touchdown run against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 6 was one of the top 10 plays of the week. Watching it again, it’s easy to see why he took the top spot.

JaMycal Hasty gives the Jacksonville Jaguars a solid change-of-pace back

Hasty was set to be a restricted free agent, so the Jaguars could have applied the affordable one-year tender on him. But it looks like the team’s brass valued him enough to instead give him a contract extension. While the terms of the deal are unknown, it’s unlikely that Jacksonville broke the bank.

While Travis Etienne is coming off a productive year and remains firmly entrenched as the Jaguars’ lead back, Hasty should get his fair share of playing time in 2023. 37 of his 46 carries came last year came after their BYE in Week 11, so there’s a good chance he’ll get a bigger workload if he enters the 2023 season as the No. 2 running back. Then again, he might need to fend off Snoop Conner in training camp.

The Jaguars won’t have much cap space this offseason but that hasn’t stopped them from keeping their own players from hitting the open market. While bringing back Hasty won’t send shockwaves around the league, re-signing him shows the team’s leadership is doing what their can to keep their group from last year remains as intact as possible.