Paying Josh Hines-Allen in 2024 makes the Jaguars look great one year later

They made things more complicated than they should have been, but the Jacksonville Jaguars showed they saw Josh Hines-Allen as a building block when they gave him a contract that made him the second-highest paid edge rusher in the NFL. At the time, it looked like the Jags might've overpaid him, but the decision looks great one year later.

With salaries at the position exploding, Josh Hines-Allen is no longer the second-highest paid pass rusher and will continue to move down the list. Myles Garrett just got a new deal that pays him an annual average of $40 million per year. Maxx Crosby is third with $35.5 million per year and Danielle Hunter lands in fourth place after signing a one-year deal worth $35 million.

Sure, Hines-Allen is still ahead of T.J. Watt, but it's a matter of time before he surpasses him. Moreover, Micah Parsons is due for a raise, and nobody will bat an eye if he gets a higher annual average than Garrett's. Similarly, Trey Hendrickson wants a contract that reflects his status as one of the best pass rushers in the NFL, so the bar will keep going up. In fact, it won't be shocking to see the former Kentucky Wildcat keep sliding in the top 10 within the next year.

The decision to pay Josh Hines-Allen looks much better in light of the Danielle Hunter deal

Of course, the total amount of the salary isn't the sole reason the Jaguars were questioned for giving Hines-Allen a five-year deal worth $141.25 million last offseason. While he deserves every cent he gets, there have been doubts about his place among the best edge defenders in the league. While he logged 17.5 sacks in 2023, he doesn't take over games the way Garrett, Parsons, or Crosby do.

Moreover, Hines-Allen has only posted 10 sacks or more in a season twice in his career. Then again, that has to do with the overall talent of the Jaguars roster. While they have a good bookend pass rusher in Travon Walker, opposing teams have been able to devote extra resources to stopping Hines-Allen because the interior defensive line isn't that great.

But in spite of all the attention the Virginia native gets, he's managed to be one of the most consistent pass rushers in the NFL the past five years. Sure, his sack totals leave a bit to be desired, but he's great at disrupting the line of scrimmage.

Just recently, the 33rd Team shared a list of the players with the highest pass-rush pressure rates since 2022, and Hines-Allen's 15.9 percent ranked fifth.

Should the Jaguars have paid Hines-Allen before his 2023 breakout season? Sure, they would've saved themselves as much as $10 million per year. But even after his career year, they had a chance to pay him. They didn't and had to use the franchise to keep them from leaving. That in turn played a role in Calvin Ridley bolting for the Tennessee Titans.

Looking back, getting it done wasn't a smooth process, but the truth is that Josh Hines-Allen's top-market contract is better than it originally looked in 2024.

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