Update: Expanded details of Cleveland’s contract revealed it’s a three-year, $24 million deal that’ll count $3.6 million against the Jaguars’ salary cap in 2024.
The Jacksonville Jaguars agreed to terms on a three-year, $28.5 million contract with offensive lineman Ezra Cleveland, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Cleveland, 25, was acquired by the Jaguars for a sixth-round pick in a mid-season trade with the Minnesota Vikings. He appeared in nine games with Jacksonville and started in five of the last six weeks, including a start at left tackle when injuries piled up for the Jaguars.
The Vikings drafted Cleveland in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft, but replaced him in the starting lineup with Dalton Risner. While he posted PFF grades above 66 in each of his three seasons in Minnesota, he received a career-worst 59.5 grade in 2023.
The $9.5 million per year contract is a bit of a high price for a player who wasn’t great in 2023, but it’s not a surprising one either. Experienced, starting offensive linemen in their mid-20s aren’t going to come much cheaper than that. The deal likely means the Jaguars envision a starting role for Cleveland moving forward.
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