![Jacksonville Jaguars Wide Receiver Parker Washington (11) catches a pass during the fourth day of NFL Training Camp in shells at the Miller Electric Center on Sunday, August 2, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_375,w_1265,h_711/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ReutersImages/mmsport/55/01m1s7sjfv5x6mjzn4xa.jpg "Jacksonville Jaguars Wide Receiver Parker Washington (11) catches a pass during the fourth day of NFL Training Camp in shells at the Miller Electric Center on Sunday, August 2, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]")
One of the biggest storylines surrounding the Jacksonville Jaguars going into the 2026 regular season is whether they'll be able to sign Parker Washington to a long-term extension. Less than a week before the opener against the Cleveland Browns, both sides remain apart in contract talks.
For their part, the Jags won't stop contract talks once the season starts. On the other hand, Washington appears to be willing to bet on himself to earn the deal he's looking for, and understandably so. Just recently, Michael Wilson signed a three-year deal that pays him an average of $25 million per year.
On top of that, Washington is expected to have a bigger role next season, which should translate into even better numbers. And if a stat from 2025 is a sign of things to come, the team's decision-makers might need to be ready to fork out enough money to re-sign their star receiver.
Parker Washington got deep often for the Jaguars in 2025
Mia Kimes posted on Twitter that 39 percent of Parker Washington's catches in the second half of 2025 went for 20+ yards. This coincides with his uptick in production from Week 7 onward.
In the first six weeks of 2025, the Sugar Land, Texas native had 13 catches for 155 yards with one touchdown. He reeled in 45 receptions for 692 yards with four touchdowns in the next 10 games. Some of Washington's increased role stemmed from the fact that Brian Thomas Jr. and Dyami Brown struggled. Had he been the top target to start 2025, he might have crossed the 1,000-yard mark.
Circling back to Kimes' post, it's easy to see why head coach Liam Coen wants to see Washington get deep more often next season.
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The Jaguars are settting up Parker Washington for a monster season
Parker Washington could post even better numbers even though the Jacksonville wide receiver corps is in much better shape than last year. Brian Thomas Jr is expected to bounce back after his underwhelming 2025. Jakobi Meyers spent a full offseason with the Jags after arriving via trade last year. On top of that, rookies CJ Williams and Josh Cameron should earn some kind of role.
Still, Washington will tentatively be WR1 on the depth chart because he came through last year. By going into the season without a deal, he'll have a prime opportunity to prove he deserves the deal he's looking for. Two things will happen.
Either Washington will show he deserves a top-market contract, or he may need to take the Jags' best offer, which it's hard to imagine isn't already big. There's another scenario, though, one in which No. 11 decides to hit free agency. Hopefully, it won't come down to that.
Ideally, the Jaguars would have locked Parker Washington by now, but if both sides keep negotiating, they'll find a way to make it work out.
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