The Jacksonville Jaguars have had a solid offseason that they desperately needed after finishing with a 3-14 record in 2021 and claiming the top pick in the NFL Draft, again. They weren’t shy about chasing the league’s biggest free agents and landed some of them like wide receiver Christian Kirk and guard Brandon Scherff.
With the NFL draft a little more than two weeks away, Bleacher Report released its grades for every team’s offseason and gave Jacksonville a “B”. Here is what they had to say in their explanation:
Once again, the Jacksonville Jaguars flexed their spending power in free agency. Armed with the most cap space in the league despite multiple massive investments over the last decade, the Jaguars were anything but frugal. In total, Jacksonville guaranteed $155.25 million in multiyear deals.
The offensive line will be better with Brandon Scherff added and Cam Robinson retained. The receiver room improved after acquiring Christian Kirk, Zay Jones and Evan Engram. The defense will benefit from key additions Foyesade Oluokun, Folorunso Fatukasi and Arden Key.
However, the money matters for these deals, too. The Jaguars completely reset the linebacker and receiver market by recklessly throwing cash at the top names. 2022 will be better for this franchise, but some of these top deals will likely look worse over the next 24 months.
Ahh yes, another media outlet pointing out how much Jacksonville overpaid for several of its free agents. The Jaguars did reset the receiver market by giving Kirk a whopping $18 million a year.
Oluokun’s contract for three years, $45 million isn’t resetting the market, though. He’s arguably worth the money because of the tackling machine he was with the Atlanta Falcons, registering triple digits the last two seasons. He is still only 26 years old and should be considered one of the best young linebackers in the NFL.
Kirk’s deal might not age well, but the rest of Jacksonville’s deals should help it win more than three games next season.