Seahawks not gifting Jake Bobo to Jaguars despite blockbuster extension

When the Jacksonville Jaguars signed Jake Bobo to an offer sheet, it didn't seem like the Seattle Seahawks were going to match based on how much the Jags are willing to pay him. However, the Hawks are making it clear that the fourth-year receiver is still part of their long-term plans after giving a massive extension to one of their franchise cornerstones.

Just a few days after Jacksonville signed Bobo, the Seahawks locked up wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, giving him a blockbuster deal that will pay him as much as $168.6 million over the next four seasons. But Seattle was just getting started.

A few hours after the Smith-Njigba extension was announced, the Seahawks matched Jacksonville's offer to Bobo.

The Seahawks just matched the Jaguars' offer to Jake Bobo

Field Yates of ESPN reported that Seattle is keeping Jake Bobo, matching the Jaguars' two-year, $5 million offer with $4.5 million guaranteed. Tom Pelissero of NFL Media confirmed the move, adding that Bobo is getting a $1.75 million signing bonus and can earn up to $7 millinion in incentives. Basically, it's the same deal Jacksonville offered, with the caveat that he gets to stay with the team that showed trust in him when he was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2023.

This came as a bit of a surprise because it didn't seem like the Hawks would be able to keep Bobo after extending Smith Njigba when you take into account they also have wide receiver Cooper Kupp on the payroll. However, that wasn't a roadblock to keep the former UCLA Bruin around.

Now, the Jags will have to look somewhere else for wide receiver help.

What's next after the Jaguars missed out on Jake Bobo?

The silver lining of the Jake Bobo debacle is that the Jaguars didn't truly have a need at receiver to begin with. Instead, they were looking for depth behind Travis Hunter, Jakobi Meyers, Brian Thomas Jr., and Parker Washington.

With Bobo staying in Emerald City, the Jags will have to look at their options. The good news is that they'll have a few. For starters, they could bring back Tim Patrick, who landed in Jacksonville via trade before the start of the regular season last year. Bringing back would be cheap, and he would give Trevor Lawrence a big target in passing downs and the red zone.

Another option is to add a receiver after the team's brass has already addressed other more pressing needs. In his latest mock, B&T's own Dallas Glenn has Jacksonville taking Ted Hurst at No. 100. That may be a bit early to use a draft pick in the position, but he would still be an intriguing addition to Trevor Lawrence's arsenal of weapons.

James Gladstone could also take a look at the pool of free agents available. It may be a bit shallow, but there should still be a few options out there.

The bottom line is that losing Jake Bobo stings, but the Jaguars can easily recover and come out in even better shape.