Jaguars CB Tyson Campbell's reaction to inking historic deal shows he's like us

The Jacksonville Jaguars have done a good job of retaining their franchise building blocks. Early in the offseason, they gave top-market extensions to Trevor Lawrence and Josh Hines-Allen. More recently, the Jags gave cornerback Tyson Campbell a historic extension. The former Georgia Bulldog said he was speechless after receiving the amazing news.

Campbell met with the local media on the first day of training camp. He says he's grateful for the opportunity to sign such a massive deal and be part of an organization like the Jaguars.

"I was telling people all the time, 'I know god is going to blow my mind. He did, I was speechless," Campbell said when asked what his response to getting an extension was. "Today, I'm doing better since playing football now. Back to reality, I'm grateful for god to give me the opportunity to have a deal like this and grateful enough to have an organization like the Jags that is trusting and believe in me."

"Imma do my best to prove that I'm one of the leaders on this defense and this team and bring a Super Bowl to Jacksonville," Campbell continued.

Later in the exchange with the media, Campbell mentioned that his new deal won't change how he approaches the game, "The work doesn't stop. I'm still hungry, still eager, still trying to be a leader for young guys to be able to be in a position like this."

Campbell adds that with or without a new deal, his goal is to always get better, "That's an every year mindset, to get better, even every day to find something to get better to master your skills. I feel like I always had a work ethic. So getting better and and trying to be better and having ambition is not new to me."

A second-round pick in 2021, Campbell, along with Josh Hines-Allen and Trevor Lawrence, forms a core of players the Jaguars are building around. His four-year, $76.5 million deal makes him the highest-paid cornerback who's never earned a Pro Bowl selection or an All-Pro designation.

Although he struggled early in his rookie season, Campbell finished strong, registering a team-high two interceptions. He was even better in 2022, logging three picks, tied for the most on the team, and 15 passes defensed. On top of that, he gave up a completion rate of 54.2 percent and less than 10.0 yards per reception.

By the end of his sophomore campaign, the consensus saw Campbell as a top-10 cornerback, with analysts calling him the Jags' best-kept secret. Moreover, he was routinely dubbed one of the Jaguars' best players.

Unfortunately, injuries prevented the Plantation, Florida native from taking off in 2023. Nevertheless, the team's brass saw him as an important piece to their future success, so they gave him an extension instead of letting him become a free agent next year. Here's his full exchange with the local media.

Tyson Campbell is showing the Jaguars will reward their players

Head coach Doug Pederson met with the local media before practice and called the decision to extend Tyson Campbell, inspiring, noting that it will motivate other players to give their best. He isn't wrong.

Players pay attention to how the organization treats their teammates and how they approach contract talks. In the case of the Jacksonville Jaguars, they've made a strong effort to reward their homegrown talent.

For his part, Tyson Campbell no longer has to worry about having to enter a lame-duck year. He'll now be able to fully focus on bouncing back from a somewhat disappointing season and help the Jacksonville Jaguars reclaim the AFC South.

More Jaguars analysis here: