The Jacksonville Jaguars caught a bit of heat when they extended Brenton Strange because he seemingly got paid top-5 money despite the fact that he only had one good season of production. That said, the deal looked way better once the full details were revealed. It looks even better now that fellow tight end Tucker Kraft reset the market.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN just reported that the Green Bay Packers gave Kraft a four-year deal worth $94 million, effectively making him the highest-paid tight end in the NFL. George Kittle previously held that distinction with an annual average of $19.1 million.
Green Bay just blew Kittle's deal out of the water with Kraft's deal. Meanwhile, Strange's contract pays him an average of $12 million per year, effectively making him a bargain for the Jags.
The Jaguars managed to get a bargain with Brenton Strange
A second-round pick in 2023, Brenton Strange barely played as a rookie, hauling in five receptions for 35 yards with a touchdown. He saw an uptick in playing time the following year, filling in for Evan Engram when he missed time with injuries. The former Penn State Nittany Lion made such a good impression that Engram was released in 2025 to pave the way for him.
As TE1, Strange had an immediate impact, reeling in a career-best 46 receptions for 540 yards with three touchdowns. Although those numbers don't pop off the stat sheet, it's worth noting that he missed five games. It's fair to assume the Parkersburg, West Virginia native would have posted even better numbers if he had stayed healthy.
But aside from giving Trevor Lawrence a trusted target in the middle of the field, Strange's physicality also gave the offense an element of grittiness it had been missing for years. When you add it all up, it wasn't shocking to see the Jaguars make an effort to keep him around early and subsequently lock him up early in 2026.
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The Jaguars got it by prioritizing Brenton Strange
Jacksonville extended Brenton Strange not long after tight end Kyle Pitts got his own deal. From an outside perspective, it's hard to tell how the Jaguars operate, but it's possible that watching Pitts get a new contract incentivized them to speed up negotiations with Strange.
By reaching a deal with Strange early in 2026, the Jags managed to get ahead of the curve, locking him up before salaries at the position went up. Tucker Kraft substantially raised the bar. Heck, Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer got an extension around the same time, and he got a three-year deal worth $45 million. That's $3 million per year more than Strange.
The Jaguars themselves know firsthand that the more you wait, the more you'll have to fork out. As of this writing, they're entangled in a contract impasse with wide receiver Parker Washington. Even though they've been negotiating for months, they haven't been able to reach an agreement. Maybe they can get it done before the regular season starts, but regardless of when it happens, you can bet Washington is going to get top-market compensation.
The truth is that the Brenton Strange extension proves that by taking care of a player early, a team can save itself lots of money. Then again, the Packers probably won't mind paying Tucker Kraft top-market money since he's one of the best tight ends in the league.
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