As Jacksonville enters a crucial offseason for the franchise, much of the emphasis has been placed on the players the team will look to add, both in free agency and the offseason. And while the Jaguars have an abundance of needs and will certainly look to spend some money in free agency, they also have some key decisions to make regarding current players with expiring contracts.
The biggest one is receiver D.J. Chark Jr. He’s coming off a broken ankle that ended his fourth season after just four games, and he hasn’t been able to match the production from his second year in 2019, when he reached the 1,000-yard threshold with Gardner Minshew II as his quarterback.
However, he has still shown a lot of promise, and keeping the big-play option in the fold is perhaps the team’s biggest priority in free agency. Pro Football Focus also values Chark fairly highly, ranking him 51st in its top 140 free agents list.
Chark’s relationship with new head coach Urban Meyer didn’t get off to the best start, as Meyer said he was a “big guy that played little.” In a wide receiver room devoid of top-end talent, Chark was supposed to be that guy. Unfortunately, an ankle injury sustained in Week 4 knocked him out for the remainder of what has been quite the eventful season in Jacksonville. Chark may look to depart for greener pastures, and there should be a handful of teams interested in adding a 6-foot-4 wide receiver with 4.3-second speed.
While Chark could certainly decide to play elsewhere, the Jags should do everything in their power to keep that from happening. His absence almost certainly handicapped the development of quarterback Trevor Lawrence, and considering how big of a need the position is, Jacksonville isn’t in a position to let talented players walk.
But Chark isn’t the only Jaguar on the PFF list, and he’s followed shortly after by left guard Andrew Norwell, who ranks at No. 57.
Norwell had two years and $25 million remaining on the five-year extension he signed in 2018, but the Jaguars negotiated a pay cut and contract reduction, making him a free agent after the 2021 season. Norwell responded with his eighth straight 70.0-plus pass-blocking grade, and there will almost certainly be a handful of teams looking for a veteran guard with his extremely high floor.
With the Jags renegotiating the terms of Norwell’s agreement, the veteran is set to hit free agency this offseason. Jacksonville could look to keep him around, especially considering it will also probably rely on Ben Bartch to start on the right side next season, but his production hasn’t necessarily earned another deal.
Though he’s been solid in pass blocking, he’s much less trustworthy in run blocking. His PFF grade for the season of 66.7 is just average, and he ranked 43rd among 82 qualifying guards in the league this season.
If the Jags choose to make an offer, it will almost certainly be considerably less than he was making on his previous deal. If he wants more or is just looking for a fresh start, he could look to leave.
The Jags have another key free agent not mentioned here in Cam Robinson, who played the 2021 season on the franchise tag. But Robinson is about to sign his second contract and will likely want more than his production in Year 5 justified.
The Jaguars are nearly certain to let at least one of these franchise centerpieces walk, with Robinson and/or Norwell seemingly the most likely candidates. They could still choose to move on from Chark, but that would make the need for receivers this offseason even greater, applying quite a bit of pressure to the front office to acquire some talent there.
Regardless, it will be interesting to see how the team approaches this offseason and building the roster for the future.