Category: Jaguars news

Trent Baalke: DaVon Hamilton is ‘integral part’ of Jaguars

Trent Baalke says DaVon Hamilton, who signed an extension Thursday, has his best football still ahead of him.

Less than 24 hours before the Jacksonville Jaguars started adding new players via the 2023 NFL Draft, the team opened up its pocketbooks to keep a former pick in Jacksonville.

With a three-year, $34.5 million extension, the Jaguars ensured that 2020 third-round pick DaVon Hamilton will continue to hold down the nose tackle position in Duval.

“DaVon is an integral part of our team,” Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke said in a statement Thursday. “Retaining our homegrown players is a key component to our organizational philosophy. He is coming off his best season since being drafted in 2020 and we are confident that his best football lies ahead. He is a great representative of the Jaguars both on and off the field and we are excited for his future in Jacksonville.”

Keeping the roster in tact by re-signing and extending players has been a focal point for the Jaguars during the 2023 offseason. Defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris also received a contract extension from Jacksonville earlier this year, and the team re-signed Andrew Wingard, Adam Gotsis, Tre Herndon, C.J. Beathard, JaMycal Hasty, and Tevaughn Campbell before each could reach free agency.

Hamilton was graded by Pro Football Focus as the Jaguars’ third best defensive starter during the 2022 season.

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Jaguars OT Cam Robinson reportedly facing PED suspension

A suspension is reportedly coming soon for Cam Robinson.

Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Cam Robinson is expected to be suspended at the beginning of the 2023 NFL season due to a violation of the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy, according to a report from John Shipley of Sports Illustrated’s Jaguar Report.

The length of the reportedly impending suspension has not been disclosed, but first-time violators of the policy typically get a six-game ban.

Robinson, 27, has been a starter for the Jaguars since getting picked in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Last year, after receiving the franchise tag for a second consecutive offseason, the offensive tackle received a three-year, $54 million extension.

He started 14 games for the Jaguars during the 2022 season before a meniscus tear ended his season. Walker Little, who is widely considered the favorite to take over right tackle duties from the recently departed Jawaan Taylor, took over at left tackle in Robinson’s absence. The team also recently signed former Tampa Bay Buccaneers tackle Josh Wells.

During a press conference last week, Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke seemed to hint that news about Robinson was coming when asked if the offensive tackle would be far enough along in his recovery from the knee injury to participate in training camp.

“From a health standpoint, yes,” Baalke said.

It’s unclear for now if the suspension will void any guarantees in Robinson’s contract. He’s currently set to count more than $22 million against the Jaguars’ salary cap in both the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

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Jaguars reportedly sign DaVon Hamilton to 3-year, $34.5 million extension

DaVon Hamilton is reportedly getting a huge pay boost with a three-year extension.

One night before the 2023 draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars have agreed to terms on a three-year, $34.5 million extension with nose tackle DaVon Hamilton, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Hamilton, 26, was a third-round pick in 2020 and has taken the reins as the team’s full-time starting nose tackle. During the 2022 season, he recorded 2.5 sacks, five tackles for loss, and 56 total tackles.

After finishing with 53.9 and 52.8 grades on Pro Football Focus in his first two NFL seasons, Hamilton received a 74.9 grade in 2022. Outside linebacker Josh Allen and cornerback Tyson Campbell were the only defensive starters for the Jaguars who were graded higher.

Hamilton was set to play the 2023 season on the final year of his rookie contract.

Further details of the contract will reveal its effect on the Jaguars’ salary cap situation, but Rapoport says the defensive tackle is due to make more than $18.7 million in the first year of the extension.

Hamilton, who measures in at 6’4, 335 pounds, is the only defensive player on the Jaguars listed at over 320 pounds.

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Jaguars, Yannick Ngakoue reportedly have mutual interest in reunion

Could a Yannick Ngakoue, Jaguars reunion really happen?

Yannick Ngakoue began his NFL career with the Jacksonville Jaguars as a third-round pick in 2016. Four years, 37.5 sacks, and a Pro Bowl appearance later, Ngakoue left the team on bad terms.

Now, after three seasons apart, there’s reportedly interest from both sides in a reunion.

“It would not be out of the realm of possibility for them to bring a guy in and Yannick Ngakoue’s a name I hear a lot,” ESPN’s Michael DiRocco said in an appearance on 1010XL on Tuesday. “I just don’t know if he’s willing to accept that role and I think the money he’s asking for — from what I’ve heard — is not in an area the Jaguars are willing to go at this point. That’ll be interesting to keep an eye on after the draft.

“I hear that he’s potentially interested in coming back, but he wants to be an every-down guy. He’s certainly asking for the best contract he can get, but I think the Jaguars can be a little bit patient and play a little bit of a waiting game on some of these guys because as we get into May and we get into June and some of these guys are still not signed, well, things start getting a little bit desperate in their camp and you can get a little bit better deal on some of these guys.”

Ngakoue, 28, was a breakout star early in his career with the Jaguars and began extension talks with the team in 2019, but negotiations broke off when the team reportedly offered the pass rusher a short-term deal. A year later, things got nasty when Jacksonville used the franchise tag to keep Ngakoue from reaching free agency, despite him saying publicly that he wanted to leave the team.

A month after receiving the tag, Ngakoue got in a social media spat with Jaguars executive Tony Khan, which eventually ended with the pass rusher saying “just trade me.”

Four months later, the Jaguars did exactly that, sending Ngakoue to the Minnesota Vikings for a second-round pick that was used to select offensive tackle Walker Little.

Ngakoue was later traded to the Baltimore Ravens in October 2020, signed with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021, and was traded to the Indianapolis Colts in 2022. In his three seasons away from Jacksonville, Ngakoue has 27.5 sacks.

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Trevor Lawrence isn’t worried about Evan Engram’s absence from OTAs

Trevor Lawrence says Evan Engram will be ready to go whenever he returns to the Jaguars’ facility.

The Jacksonville Jaguars started their offseason program earlier this week, but did so without tight end Evan Engram.

In February, the Jaguars used the franchise tag to keep Engram. While the team is optimistic that a multi-year deal will get done with the tight end before the July 17 deadline for franchised players, Engram hasn’t signed the tag and he’s steering clear of TIAA Bank Field for now.

Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence isn’t too worried about Engram’s absence, though.

“We threw a few weeks ago,” Lawrence told reporters earlier this week. “He looks great, he’s in great shape. Obviously, it’s good to see him. We have a really good relationship, and I’ve been staying in touch with him. He’s doing great. I know he’s taking care of business on his end, and he’s doing a great job, and you can tell he’s going to be ready when the time comes.

“With a guy like that, you guys have all seen it, his work ethic, and our coaches and staff feel the same way. You don’t worry about him. He’s taking care of business, and he’s going to be ready. It’s not something you worry about, obviously, it’s a guy you want around just because he’s great for the locker room, and he’s a great player. We know that’s going to come.”

Engram spent the first five seasons of his NFL career with the New York Giants before signing a one-year deal with the Jaguars last year. In his first season in Jacksonville, Engram broke franchise records for a touchdown and set personal bests with 73 receptions for 766 yards.

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Reggie Hayward inducted into Jacksonville Sports Hall of Fame

Former Jaguars defensive end Reggie Hayward was announced as the third inductee into the soon-to-open Jacksonville Sports Hall of Fame.

The third member of the soon-to-open Jacksonville Sports Hall of Fame is former Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Reggie Hayward.

The new hall is set to open this summer at the Community First Igloo, and was created in part by the ECHL’s Jacksonville Icemen. It seeks to honor athletes who not only made a difference in sports, but “also made significant impacts to the communities of Northeast Florida.”

Hayward, 44, signed with the Jaguars in 2005 after spending four years with the Denver Broncos and recording 19 sacks in his final two seasons with the team. In Jacksonville, Hayward led the Jaguars in sacks in his first season with the team and recorded 17.5 sacks in five years.

Leg injuries eventually led to Hayward’s release in 2010 and he subsequently retired from the NFL.

The three inductees to the Jacksonville Sports Hall of Fame so far — Hayward, Myles Jack, and Tim Tebow — are all former Jaguars who have an ownership stake in the Icemen.

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Jaguars ‘trending in direction’ of long-term deal with TE Evan Engram

Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke says talks on a long-term deal with Evan Engram are progressing well.

The Jacksonville Jaguars ensured tight end Evan Engram would stay with the team in 2023 by using the franchise tag, but general manager Trent Baalke told reporters Thursday the goal is to keep him much longer than that.

With the July 17 deadline to reach a long-term deal with a franchised player still three months away, Baalke says the Jaguars are making progress on an extension with Engram.

“There’s ups and downs as you go through the process and you’re just trying to come to a common goal to get him signed,” Baalke said of negotiations with Engram. “I think we’re trending that direction, but we’re not there yet. We’re going to continue to work to get him signed to a long-term extension and hopefully we can get that done.”

In the meantime, Engram has opted against showing up for the voluntary portion of the Jaguars’ offseason program, which began earlier this week. The 28-year-old tight end hasn’t signed his franchise tag yet, so he’s not contractually obligated to show up for the mandatory portions either, which will happen in June.

Engram broke franchise records in his first season with the Jaguars, finishing the year with 73 receptions for 766 yards and four touchdowns. He added another 12 receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown in Jacksonville’s two postseason games.

After the season ended, Engram called it the best year of his life and said that he’d view the franchise tag as a “placeholder to get something done” that keeps him tied to the Jaguars for the foreseeable future.

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Trevor Lawrence: Jalen Hurts’ deal is ‘really cool’ for quarterbacks

Trevor Lawrence says the $255 million deal signed by Jalen Hurts is “good for the future of guys playing that position.”

The Philadelphia Eagles are all in on their 24-year-old quarterback, Jalen Hurts, signing the 2020 second-round pick to a five-year, $255 million deal earlier this week.

While Hurts is the obvious beneficiary of the contract, it’s also good news for a few other passers who are due to get big extensions soon. That includes Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, and the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 23-year-old quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

“I think that’s awesome for guys to be rewarded for their play,” Lawrence said Wednesday when asked about Hurts’ contract. “Not even just their play, but just — I don’t know Jalen super well — but it seems like his character is great, and he seems like a great leader. I think it’s always awesome to see guys get rewarded for that and for a team to obviously believe in him that much and kind of go all in on him.

“It’s cool to see obviously a big number, which is good for the future of guys playing that position, so I think it’s really cool.”

Lawrence led the NFL in interceptions as a rookie, but made massive strides in his second season, finishing 2022 with 25 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and a Pro Bowl nod. While the Jaguars aren’t allowed to extend Lawrence until the 2024 offseason, per the league’s collective bargaining agreement, the team has made it clear that it plans to build around the former No. 1 overall pick for the foreseeable future.

Where that price tag lands likely depends some on the terms of a few more deals, but Hurts’ contract undoubtedly pushes the numbers up on an eventual deal for Lawrence.

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Jaguars DB Chris Claybrooks arrested and charged with assault, vandalism

Court records show Jaguars defensive back Chris Claybrooks was arrested Saturday night in Nashville, Tenn.

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive back Chris Claybrooks was arrested on Saturday and is facing misdemeanor charges of domestic assault with bodily injury and vandalism, according to Davidson County, Tenn. court records.

“The Jaguars are aware of a recent incident in Nashville, Tennessee involving Chris Claybrooks and are currently in the process of gathering information,” the team said in a statement. “We will have no further comment at this time.”

The records show Claybrooks was released on a $2,500 bond. A photo published by a website called Scoop Nashville purportedly shows a mugshot of the Jaguars defensive back from his booking.

Details of the incident(s) that led to the arrest are not clear at this time. Claybrooks is scheduled to appear in court on May 1.

Claybrooks, 25, is a Nashville native who recently finished his third season with the Jaguars after joining the team as a seventh-round selection in the 2020 NFL draft. He has 81 career tackles and has contributed on special teams as a returner, taking 22 career kickoffs back a combined 454 yards. Claybrooks is entering the final year of his rookie contract.

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Reports: Former Jaguars draft pick Chris Smith dies at age 31

Former Jaguars DE Chris Smith, who signed with the XFL’s Seattle Sea Dragons last month, has reportedly died at age 31.

Former Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Chris Smith was found dead at age 31, according to multiple reports including ones from his former high school and Will Kunkel of FOX Charlotte.

Smith was drafted by the Jaguars in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft after recording 21.5 sacks in his final three seasons with the Arkansas Razorbacks. In three years in Jacksonville, Smith appeared in 19 games and recorded 4.5 sacks.

The Jaguars traded Smith to the Cincinnati Bengals during the 2017 offseason and he later had stints with the Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers, Las Vegas Raiders, Baltimore Ravens, and Houston Texans. Most recently, he joined the XFL’s Seattle Sea Dragons in March 2023 and appeared in five games with the team.

In his final NFL season, Smith recorded a sack against the team that drafted him when he brought down Trevor Lawrence while with the Texans.

The cause of Smith’s death has not yet been reported.