Having taken care of tight end Brenton Strange, Parker Washington is the next player the Jacksonville Jaguars need to lock up. His price might have gone up after a couple of fellow receivers got extensions with the Green Bay Packers, but that shouldn't deter the Jags from getting a deal done soon.
On the other hand, a local reporter argues that Parker Washington is better off getting a deal done rather than waiting, even if it's not nearly as big as he'd like.
Parker Washington would benefit from striking a deal with the Jaguars now
Hays Carlyon of 1010 XL said during an exchange with Ryan O'Halloran of 1010 XL that Parker Washington needs to take into account that he's in a great situation when negotiating his new deal.
"Parker Washington, I would be careful about getting too pushy with it," Carlyon said (9:22 mark). "Obviously, you want a fair deal, but for Washington, I'm telling my agent, look, as long as they get us somewhere in the ballpark, this is where I want to be. It's what I'm familiar with. I love the head coach. I love the system. I'm flourishing. I don't want to disrupt the momentum I have."
Carlyon, "He's going to get, as long as Parker Washington stays healthy and Liam Coen is here, which obviously is going to be. His third contract could be very special, and maybe that's here, maybe it isn't. But Parker Washington has a chance to get to a big-time third contract, but I'd lock down this second if it's reasonable. I would lock down this second one sooner rather than later, because you're just one knee twist away from a totally different financial situation for the rest of your life."
O'Halloran then uses Allen Robinson as an example of a player who should have signed an extension when he could. The former Penn State Nittany Lion suffered an ACL tear in 2017 and didn't play another down for the Jags. He did get a three-year deal worth $42 million with the Chicago Bears in 2018, so you could say that things ended up working just fine with him.
That said, signing a contract now would take the injury risk away from Washington and shift it to the team. Conversely, if he suffered an injury and went into 2027 without a new contract, he would have to deal with uncertainty in free agency.
The Jaguars and Parker Washington are better off with each other
Parker Washington had his best season under Liam Coen, and he's expected to put up even better numbers next year, so it makes sense for both sides to strike a deal. That said, you cannot blame the Sugar Land, Texas native for trying to get as much as possible, precisely because players have a limited window to maximize their earnings.
On the other hand, it's possible that the Jaguars simply haven't extended Washington because they were focused on Brenton Strange. But now that they've checked off that box, it may be a matter of time before they take care of Washington.
Maybe Parker Washington does want to maximize his value and wait for free agency to get a new deal. But based on the Jags' track record of signing their own players, don't be shocked if they strike a deal before the start of the regular season.
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