The Houston Texans have dropped the ball several times this offseason, but they got one thing right: Pay Derek Stingley Jr. before the market goes up. The Jacksonville Jaguars must borrow a page from their division foes for the negotiations with Travon Walker to get a deal done.
After just three seasons, the Texans gave Stingley a three-year deal worth $90 million. They could've dragged contract talks but they would've eventually had to fork out more money. Instead, they paid him before salaries at the position exploded.
Just a year ago, the Jags gave Tyson Campbell a three-year, $76.5 million contract despite the fact that he's never made the Pro Bowl, let alone earn an All-Pro designation. Fast forward to 2025, and Stingley, along with Jaycee Horn, raised the bar for salaries at the position.
Circling back to Stingley, Houston could've picked up his fifth-year option and then slapped him with the franchise tag. If that was the case, they could've waited until 2027 to pay him, but by then, salaries would've increased massively. Rather than get into a contract impasse, the Texans rewarded one of their best players.
The Bengals took too long to pay Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins
While the Houston Texans got it right with Derek Stingley Jr., the Cincinnati Bengals didn't with Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase. The same can be said about the Dallas Cowboys.
Higgins got a four-year, $114 million contract, and Chase got a four-year, contract worth $161 million. Both players deserve what they got, but the Bengals were shortsighted in the process. Had they paid Higgins back in 2023 — back when he was open to a contract extension — they could've saved themselves plenty of money. The same applies to Chase. They could've gotten an extension done last year and would've saved enough money to pay defensive end Trey Hendrickson.
Now, there's a chance Cincy will lose Hendrickson because of poor planning. Dallas is also at risk of either having to pay Parsons or trading him. And it wouldn't been an issue if they had gotten ahead of the curve.
Of course, the aforementioned players delivered, that's why they could easily ask for a raise. It's a bit more challenging when they don't. For instance, Josh Hines-Allen hadn't played at an elite level but had performed well enough to get a new contract. But instead of giving him a market before his rate went up, Trent Baalke had to drag his feet and pay a premium for him last year. The new Jags regime cannot make the same mistake with Travon Walker.
Why the Jaguars should pay Travon Walker as soon as possible?
Travon Walker has made strides since becoming the first overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, registering a combined 20.5 sacks the past two years after tallying just 4.5 as a rookie.
Sure, Walker isn't what you would call a difference-maker just yet but that shouldn't prevent the Jags from getting a deal done early. He's certainly done enough to make you think that he'll get better, and the more the team waits, the more they'll have to shell out.
Of course, Walker won't get an annual salary like the one Myles Garrett or Maxx Crosby got, but he should at least cross the $ 20 million mark. In fact, it wouldn't be shocking to see him get an annual average of $25 million, and by adding years to his current deal, they could lessen the impact of the extension. That's precisely what Jacksonville did with Trevor Lawrence, whose new deal doesn't kick in until 2026.
Currently, Walker is slated to count $10.1 million and $11.8 million against the cap in 2025 and 2026, respectively. If the Jaguars gave him a signing bonus, his cap hits for the next two years would increase but still remain manageable. But by doing it that way, they wouldn't have to backload the years of his contract.
The bottom line is that by getting a deal done with Travon Walker, the Jacksonville Jaguars will save themselves millions. Furthermore, they'll show players that they'll reward their building blocks.