Most Jacksonville Jaguars fans are well aware of the elite offensive units Urban Meyer has put together, but his love for special teams seems to go under the radar. However, for those who’ve been paying attention to the Jags’ roster transactions this offseason, it’s become really clear he wants the Jags to have one of the better special teams units in the NFL.
In free-agency, they added players like safety Rudy Ford, who was one of the league’s fastest punt gunners. They also paid former Detroit Lions receiver Jamal Agnew a notable three-year deal worth $14.2 million to come over and help the Jags’ young receivers group, and most importantly, score as a returner.
Agnew, who played for Jags offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell in Detroit, will enter his career with the Jags with five career touchdown returns and 1,649 total return yards. Four of those touchdowns have come as a punter and one has come from a kickoff, all of which puts him in an elite category of 11 current NFL players who’ve returned a punt and kickoff for a touchdown.
For that reason, ESPN’s Ben Barnwell listed Agnew as his favorite to potentially break the NFL’s non-offensive touchdown record for a season. As of 2021, that record is held by former Chicago Bears return man Devin Hester, who had six during his 2006 and 2007 seasons.
The favorite: Jamal Agnew, Jaguars
The Jags gave Agnew a three-year, $14.2 million deal to leave the Lions in free agency, suggesting that new coach Urban Meyer will have no qualms about installing the 26-year-old as his team’s return man on both punts and kicks. Agnew has five career touchdowns on returns and is one of just 11 active players with a punt return and a kick return for a score.
Though it certainly won’t be an easy feat to achieve, Agnew does feel like a smart choice to select as a favorite to break the record. He’s a former first- team all-pro punt returner, which is important because he achieved the feat as a rookie (2017).
However, the most touchdown returns Agnew has been able to register in a year is two, which he did in 2017 and 2019. That means he’d have to triple that amount (plus one) to overcome Hester’s record, and if he did, it would be huge for a young Jags unit looking to surpass their one-win season in 2020.