Andre Cisco is thrilled with the direction the Jaguars are taking

Safety Andre Cisco is entering a contract season. It looks like he feels good about his chances of getting a new deal after watching the Jacksonville Jaguars give extensions to Trevor Lawrence and edge rusher Josh Allen. In fact, the former Syracuse Orangeman says that seeing the Jags reward his teammates makes him want to stay in Jacksonville long-term.

During an appearance on Sirius XM NFL Radio, Cisco praised the team's front office, noting that they're making the moves to put the team in a position to succeed in the future.

"There's a lot of forward thinking going on in the front office," Cisco said. "They're planning for winning in the future, so that's something I want to be a part of and something I'm happy to be a part of this year."

Cisco, a third-round pick in the 2021 draft, has become a mainstay of the Jaguars' defensive backfield. After hardly playing in his rookie campaign, he's put his ballhawk skills on full display registering seven interceptions and 15 passes defensed the past two years. Having taken care of Lawrence and Allen, it wouldn't be shocking to see Jacksonville Cisco get paid next.

The Jaguars are doing their best to keep their stars

Lawrence and Allen are the Jaguars' most important players. While negotiations with the latter lasted longer than they should've have, the team ultimately gave him a top-market deal. On the other hand, contract talks with Lawrence were relatively smooth and he also got a market-value extension. Either way, making an effort to keep their star players shows that Jacksonville has done a 180-degree turn when it comes to roster building.

Former general manager Dave Caldwell rarely rewarded the organization's best players. Sure, Myles Jack and center Brandon Linder got an extension, but other than that, he seemed more interested in acquiring future assets rather than building a team with the core he had at hand.

In two years, Caldwell dismantled the team that made the AFC Championship in 2017, shipping away defensive end Calais Campbell, cornerback Jalen Ramsey, and edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue. If that wasn't enough, he cut running back Leonard Fournette three years after drafting fourth overall in 2017.

Meanwhile, Trent Baalke has done a good job retaining the Jaguars' core players. Back in 2022, he gave Cam Robinson a three-year deal worth $54 million. Even though the veteran left tackle violated the league's performance-enhancing drug policy, management expects him to play out his contract.

Robinson isn't the only player the Jaguars have rewarded, though. Since 2022, the Jags have given extensions to Roy Robertson-Harris, DaVon Hamilton, linebacker Foyesade Oluokun, tight end Evan Engram, Lawrence, and Allen. It's true that they also let right tackle Jawaan Taylor and wide receiver Calvin Ridley, but that's expected in a league where teams have a finite amount of cap space.

You could argue that general manager Trent Baalke has made several mistakes since getting the job full-time in 2021. But unlike his predecessor, he's routinely rewarded the team's core players. That should speak positively of him.

In the end, Andre Cisco is right. The Jacksonville Jaguars are trending in the right direction, and nobody should blame him for wanting to be part of what appears to be a bright future.

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