The Jacksonville Jaguars raised eyebrows when they gave cornerback Tyson Campbell a top-market extension earlier this year. After all, the former Georgia Bulldog has never earned an All-Pro designation or made the Pro Bowl. Nevertheless, it looks like the Jags made the right call based on the contract Deommodore Lenoir just got from the San Francisco 49ers.
The Niners just gave Lenoir a five-year deal worth $92 million while the Jags gave Campbell a four-year, $76.5 million deal in the offseason.
While Campbell's yearly average is $725,000 higher, he mostly plays outside, whereas Lenoir has mostly lined up inside this season and maybe a better fit in the slot.
The 49ers are paying Lenior for his flexibility, but Kenny Moore, the second highest-paid slot cornerback, signed a contract in the offseason that pays him an average of $10 million. There's a steep difference between the two.
Of course, talented players are always going to get paid and Lenoir is a heck of a cornerback regardless of where he lines up. Throughout his career, he's logged 23 passes defensed and six interceptions. On top of that, he's posted Pro Football Focus coverage grades of over 70.0 the past two years.
Teams would love to get that kind of production from the cornerback position. San Francisco knew it and made sure Lenior, who was in a contract year, didn't hit the open market.
The Jaguars went ahead of the curve when they paid Tyson Campbell
Players are worth what a team is willing to pay them, and the Jacksonville Jaguars valued Tyson Campbell at $19.125 million per year. At first sight, it looked like they overpaid him, especially when you take into account that the Plantation, Florida native struggled with injuries throughout most of the 2023 season. But that's the thing. The team's brass knew that he was capable of playing at a high level.
Back in 2022, Campbell was one of the top cornerbacks in the league. His Pro Football Focus was one of the 10 best at the position. On top of that, he gave up less than 10.0 yards per reception and a completion percentage rate of 58.5. The Jags were confident he was going to play like that once he got back to full strength. He has.
Campbell is coming off a game in which the Jags kept star wide receiver Justin Jefferson under 50 yards. They ultimately lost but you cannot pin the blame on the fourth-year cornerback. After all, he gave up just three receptions for 30 yards on five targets and tipped the pass that linebacker Foyesade Olukoun turned into an interception.
3 with the PBU, 23 with the cleanup!@foyelicious | #MINvsJAX on FOX pic.twitter.com/N52ATjfvnR
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) November 10, 2024
So far in 2024, Campbell is giving up a 59.1 completion rate and 10.7 yards per reception and should keep getting better. It's worth pointing out that he missed five games this season with a hamstring injury but hasn't missed a beat since returning to the football field.
Had the Jaguars waited until Tyson Campbell became a free agent in 2025, they would've had to fork out a considerably bigger sum of cash. The deal the 49ers gave to Deommodore Lenior is proof of it.