While rookie holdouts aren't as common as they were in the 2000s, they still happen from time to time. This is why the Jacksonville Jaguars should breathe a sigh of relief after tight end Boerkircher signed his deal. Boerkircher was the Jags' first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and they caught plenty of heat for taking him way before the consensus board suggested.
For this reason, the former Texas A&M will be under pressure to deliver from the get-go. Of course, there's still plenty of time left before he can actually take the field in the regular season. But having signed his contract, he has one less thing to worry about and can fully focus on being the player Jacksonville envisions.
The Jaguars have their rookie class under contract after signing Nate Boerkircher
The Jaguars announced that Nate Boerkircher signed his rookie deal, effectively wrapping their draft class of 10 players.
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) May 20, 2026
Last year, Travis Hunter signed his rookie deal until late June, so Boerkircher was still within time to take care of his. Credit to Jacksonville for not letting a non-issue affect its players.
The last time the Jags had a rookie holdout was with defensive end Derrick Harvey back in the distant year of 2008. But since the new Collective Bargaining Agreement in 2011, the top brass has done a good job of signing its rookies.
The Jaguars expect big things from Nate Boerkircher next season
Back in rookie minicamp, Boerkicher made a positive impression, but still has his work out before he can become an offensive mainstay. Working in his favor is that he's got the skill set to contribute early on.
Boerkircher was the best blocking tight end of the 2026 class. This is why, in retrospect, it wasn't particularly shocking to see the Jags take him way before the consensus suggested. This makes even more sense when you take into account that other teams were targeting him late in Round 2 or early in the third.
This is a long-winded way to say that the pick wasn't as atrocious as it seemed at the time. Moreover, Boerkircher is a much better receiver than his stats suggest. Back with the Aggies in 2025, he only had 19 receptions for 198 yards with three touchdowns.
However, Boerkircher had a separation rate of 86.4 percent, meaning that he could have caught way more passes but he simply wasn't targeted. Of course, the Aurora, Nebraska native won't get targeted 50 times in Jacksonville, especially when you take into account that Brenton Strange is firmly entrenched as the starter.
On top of that, Boerkircher will have to compete with Quintin Morris and Hunter Long to move up the depth chart. That said, he's a much better receiver than his veteran counterparts and will give the coaching staff an intriguing puzzle piece that can potentially create mismatches.
And now that Nate Boerkircher has taken care of his contract, he can get to work.
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