3 upcoming Jaguars free agents who have earned another contract this season

1. Josh Allen

Outside linebacker Josh Allen found success as soon as he joined the NFL, posting 10.5 sacks and making the Pro Bowl as a rookie. However, his production took a dip the following two years. In 2020, a knee injury limited him to just eight games and 2.5. Allen was supposed to have a bounce back under Urban Meyer the following season but once again came up short. While he had flashes of dominant play — his hat trick in Week 12 against the Buffalo Bills comes to mind — he also disappeared at times. He finished the year with 7.5 sacks but it felt like he left a bit to be desired.

That might've been one of the reasons the Jaguars chose to pick the fifth-year option on Allen's rookie deal instead of giving him a contract extension. Motivated to earn a long-term deal, the former Kentucky Wildcat was a bit more consistent in 2022, finishing seventh in total pressures among pass rushers. Still, his sack numbers weren't on par with the top edge rushers in the league, so the Jaguars decided to let his contract play out.

Allen has responded in a big way, setting a new career high for sacks with 12.0, breaking the previous personal best of 10.5 he set as a rookie in 2019. Moreover, he's currently among the best pass rushers when it comes to win rate.

With pass rushers such as Rashan Gary, and Montez Sweat securing contract extensions earlier this year, the Jags should be ready to fork out a significant amount of cash to retain Josh Allen long-term. But based on his production in 2023, he'll be worth every single penny.

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