Tag: Donovin Darius

All 10 times the Jaguars have used the franchise tag

The Jaguars appear set to use the franchise tag for a fifth straight offseason.

As of Tuesday, NFL teams are allowed to use the franchise tag or transition tag to retain one player due to become a free agent. And for the fifth straight year, the Jacksonville Jaguars are likely to make use of the tag.

The likeliest scenario is that pass rusher Josh Allen will get the tag after posting a career-best 17.5 sacks during the 2023 season. But even if the Jaguars manage to get a deal done with Allen ahead of the March 5 deadline (which seems unlikely), they’d probably instead use the tag to keep wide receiver Calvin Ridley.

The franchise tag is a tool that guarantees a player, at minimum, a one-year fully guaranteed deal that makes them one of the highest paid players at their position. Teams also have until mid-July to sign a multi-year extension with a tagged player.

While Jacksonville has used it in four straight offseasons, the team only used it six times in the more than two decades prior. Here’s the Jaguars’ entire history of using the franchise tag:

Jacksonville Jaguars’ history with the franchise tag

The Jaguars have used the franchise tag nine times in their history. Here’s every player franchised by the team:

The Jacksonville Jaguars are approaching three decades in the NFL and that has meant using the franchise tag a few times along the way.

If the Jaguars use it this offseason — perhaps to retain tight end Evan Engram or right tackle Jawaan Taylor — that’d make it four straight seasons of designating a franchise player.

But prior to the current stretch of tagging players, there were significant stretches where the Jaguars didn’t use the tag at all.

Altogether, Jacksonville has used the franchise tag nine times and has never used the rare transition tag. Here is every time the Jaguars have designated someone a franchise player:

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Former Dolphins safety Donovin Darius arrested, hospitalized for DUI

Former Miami Dolphins safety Donovin Darius was apprehended on Sunday and charged with driving under the influence.

Former NFL safety Donovin Darius made a name for himself playing football with the Jacksonville Jaguars — he was a fixture in the secondary with Jacksonville from 1998 to 2006. Darius’ final NFL season came with the Miami Dolphins, although it was certainly a season to forget. Darius played in just 3 games for Miami before being cut in October and the team floundered to a 1-15 record under head coach Cam Cameron.

After that season, Darius hung up the cleats and never played again. Today, Darius is in the spotlight again — but for all the wrong reasons.

According to ESPN’s Michael DiRocco, the former Jaguar and Dolphin safety was arrested and charged with DUI yesterday afternoon, according to Jacksonville police. In addition to the charge against him, Darius was hospitalized for a mental health evaluation — an action prompted by Darius ingesting several pills after his arrest, according to a law enforcement source.

Darius’ hospitalization was conducted under the Florida Mental Health Act of 1971 — which enables involuntary hospitalization for mental assessments for individuals who may be of danger to themselves or others.

Darius was charged with a misdemeanor and will now wait for a court date to be set.

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