The Jacksonville Jaguars have been tabbed as one of the NFL’s most promising young teams over the last year or two, and they have made a couple of moves in order to ensure they can continue to grow and improve as a unit.
On Thursday, they gave quarterback Trevor Lawrence a gargantuan deal — $275 million over five years, which matches Joe Burrow’s deal as the richest in the league in terms of annual salary.
A couple of months ago, they also extended edge rusher Josh Allen by giving him a $141 million, five-year deal.
Daniel Griffis pointed out both deals in a Twitter post.
The time for #Jaguars extensions has come.
💰Trevor Lawrence: 5 Yr, $275 Million
💰Josh Allen: 5 Yr, $141 Million pic.com/C8DLrOChjM— Daniel Griffis (@DanDGriffis) June 13, 2024
Jacksonville started to emerge as a potential team of the future late in the 2022 season when they ended the regular season with a five-game winning streak after starting the year 3-7.
In the Wild Card round of the playoffs, they overcame a 27-0 deficit and a horrid first half by Lawrence to defeat the Los Angeles Chargers on a last-second field goal by Riley Patterson.
That led to relatively high expectations for 2023, but they only mustered nine wins and missed the playoffs.
The Jaguars do have some roster questions — Calvin Ridley, their most productive wide receiver in 2023, left in free agency, and some feel Christian Kirk isn’t a true WR1.
But the building blocks are there to become a contender, and if Lawrence takes the next step forward and becomes a truly Pro Bowl-caliber QB, the sky could be the limit.
Allen already took that type of step forward in 2023 by posting 17.5 sacks, 33 quarterback hits, and 17 tackles for loss, and he is one of the most underrated defenders at any position in football.
