There's no doubt that former general manager Trent Baalke was a controversial figure during his stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars. But despite his many flaws, he also had his fair share of hits. Trading for offensive lineman Cole Van Lanen was one of them. Even though Baalke got the boot, the new regime valued Van Lanen enough that it didn't hesitate to give him a three-year extension worth $54 million late in 2025.
Although Van Lanen suffered a knee injury late in 2025 and is still recovering from it, he flashed enough talent to make you think that he'll be a staple of the offensive line for years to come. Not surprisingly, the Jags got a rave review for extending him.
The Jaguars get high marks for giving Cole Van Lanen an extension
Seth Walder of ESPN discussed the best moves each NFL team made in the offseason and praised the Jaguars for extending Cole Van Lanen, arguing that he could turn out to be a bargain if he keeps playing the way he did before he got hurt.
"Van Lanen's deal has a chance to be excellent for Jacksonville," Walder wrote. "He had been a bench player entering last season but started at left tackle when Walker Little was out with a concussion and then kept the job. Van Lanne's numbers backed up the decision to switch starters."
Walder continued, "He recorded a 91.9% pass block win rate and 78.1% run block win rate at tackle, respectively, both above average for a starter at the position. If he keeps up that pace going forward, he'll be a steal at $17 million per year."
For the sake of clarity, Jacksonville gave Van Lanen late in January, when the regular season was still taking place, so you cannot really call it an offseason move. Leaving aside the semantics, what matters is that the front office got ahead of the curve and retained a building block.
A sixth-round pick by the Green Bay Packers in 2021, Van Lanen was traded to the Jaguars the following year. He mostly played guard early in his stint in Duval, but switched back to his natural left tackle position in later years.
Before settling at left tackle last season, Van Lanen filled in at other positions. The Jags loved that kind of versatility but probably didn't imagine he would end up protecting Trevor Lawrence's blindside full-time. Once the former Wisconsin Badger is back at full strength, he'll go back to making sure his quarterback gets protected.
The Jaguars have an offensive line mainstay in Cole Van Lanen
Before the 2025 season started, Cole Van Lanen didn't seem like an extension candidate. The prior three years, he had logged a combined 323 offensive snaps (252 in 2024). Basically, he was mostly a reserve offensive lineman.
But even before Van Lanen seized the left tackle job, the coaching staff lined him up at left guard and right tackle, because the Jags realized they couldn't keep him on the bench. He ended up appearing in 12 games, allowing just one sack and 22 total pressures.
At $17 million per year, Van Lanen is 16th among the highest-paid left tackles. That's not by any means chump change, but it's way less than the annual $30 million Laremy Tunsil is making with the Washington Commanders.
The truth is that this was win-win for Cole Van Lanen and the Jaguars. He got a massive raise, while the Jaguars locked up their long-term answer at left tackle without having to break the bank.
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