Although the Jacksonville Jaguars have experienced some significant successes and failures in the NFL Draft, edge rusher Josh Allen has emerged as one of the team’s greatest first-round selections in recent years. The Jaguars front staff looks to have decided on Allen’s future as NFL free agency approaches.
The fifth-year option of Allen, the seventh overall selection in the 2019 NFL Draft, was exercised in 2022. The pass rusher, who completed the last year of his rookie deal this past season, is positioned to rank among the top players available on the NFL free agency market.
Jacksonville can’t afford to lose Allen even though it doesn’t have a lot of cap room this year. The Jaguars defense had the eighth-highest number of pressures (157) in the NFL during the regular season, but it only ended 25th in terms of sacks (40).
At the age of 26, Allen contributed 17.5 sacks (43.75 percent of the team’s total) and 46 pressures (29.3 percent) by the end of the season. It was the ideal method for the former first-round selection to enter the free agent market and demonstrated his importance to Jacksonville.
ESPN NFL expert Jeremy Fowler stated on Sunday’s SportsCenter that Allen is “largely expected” to get the franchise tag from Jacksonville this offseason. Nearly all of the team’s cap space would be consumed by the $24 million franchise tag.
The Jaguars should be encouraged to negotiate a long-term extension with Allen just by the terms of the agreement. If not, the organization won’t have the financial flexibility to add players to the roster this spring and will have to restructure numerous contracts and part ways with several cap casualties.
Although the Jaguars have the option to franchise tag Allen and subsequently move him, doing so would severely damage their defense. In 32 career games, Travon Walker—the top pick in the 2022 NFL Draft—has only 29 quarterback hits and 13.5 sacks. One of the many things the Jaguars squad will need in 2024 is a pass rusher.
The franchise tag is Jacksonville’s sole surefire way to keep Allen from becoming a free agent, despite its drawbacks. A team in win-now mentality needs to make this kind of move, even though it will be expensive.
