Tag: Jaguars

Calvin Ridley reportedly ‘prefers to return’ to Jaguars over other offers

It’s not a done deal, but Calvin Ridley is reportedly in no hurry to leave Duval behind.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are still working to bring back Calvin Ridley and it sounds like they have a leg up on the competition because the 29-year-old wide receiver isn’t in a hurry to leave Duval.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the New England Patriots are pushing to sign Ridley but the receiver “currently prefers to return to Jacksonville.” Per Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, another team could be “a darkhorse lurking” in pursuit of Ridley.

The Jaguars haven’t been in a rush to get their deal done with Ridley, as signing him before 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday would mean their second-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft would transfer to the Atlanta Falcons as part of the 2022 trade that sent the receiver to Jacksonville. It’ll be a third-rounder going to Atlanta — regardless if Ridley re-signs with the Jaguars or leaves to join another team — if he’s still unsigned as of Wednesday afternoon.

On Monday, the Jaguars agreed to a three-year deal with Buffalo Bills wide receiver Gabe Davis that’s expected to be sign when he becomes a free agent Wednesday. While some have suggested Davis is a subpar replacement for Ridley, it now seems Jacksonville is well-positioned to have a wide receiving corps with both Davis and Ridley.

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Jaguars re-signing RB D’Ernest Johnson to another 1-year deal

The Jaguars are keeping their running back room in tact by bringing back D’Ernest Johnson.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are bringing back running back D’Ernest Johnson on another one-year contract, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

With Johnson set to return to a running back room that has starter Travis Etienne Jr. and 2023 third-round pick Tank Bigsby, it seems like the position group will look very similar, if not identical, during the 2024 season.

Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke has drafted a running back every year, though.

The Jaguars carried four running backs into the regular season last year, but waived JaMycal Hasty in November.

Johnson finished his first season in Jacksonville with 108 rushing yards and 110 receiving yards on 51 total touches. As a whole, the Jaguars ranked 30th in the NFL in rushing yards per attempt, although they’ll hope newly signed center Mitch Morse can play a factor in bolstering the ground attack.

Prior to joining the Jaguars, Johnson played four seasons with the Cleveland Browns, averaging 5.2 yards per carry during his tenure with the team.

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Commanders signing Jaguars kicker Brandon McManus to 1-year deal

With the departure of Brandon McManus, the only kicker on the Jaguars’ roster will be Riley Patterson.

The Washington Commanders have a deal in place to sign Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Brandon McManus to a one-year, $3.6 million deal when he becomes a free agent Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

McManus, 32, was scooped up by the Jaguars during the 2023 offseason shortly after he was released by the Denver Broncos. In his only season with Jacksonville, McManus made 30 of his 37 field goals, although he was perfect inside of 40 yards and five of his seven misses were from 50-plus yards.

After making 23 of his first 25 field goals on the year, McManus frustrated Jaguars coach Doug Pederson when he missed five of six kicks during a rough stretch late in the season.

While there’s been little indication that the Jaguars intended to re-sign the impending free agent, the writing on the wall for McManus became crystal clear Monday when the team agreed to terms on a deal with Denver Broncos kicker Wil Lutz. While the deal eventually fell through, Jacksonville clearly intends to move in a different direction at the kicker position.

With McManus set to join Washington, the only kicker on the roster will be Riley Patterson, the team’s 2022 kicker who was added back to the roster in February. It seems unlikely that the Jaguars envision Patterson being their starting kicker in 2024, though.

There’s a chance that the contract for McManus is rich enough to play a factor in the awarding of compensatory draft picks. Given the amount of additions the Jaguars made Monday, it appears unlikely they’ll be in position to get a 2025 pick, though.

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Former Jaguars CB Darious Williams rejoining Rams

After a two-year stint with the Jaguars, cornerback Darious Williams is going back to his former stomping grounds.

A week after he was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars, veteran cornerback Darious Williams is set to rejoin the Los Angeles Rams on a three-year contract, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Williams began his career with the Baltimore Ravens, but was waived early in his rookie season and was claimed by the Los Angeles Rams where he stayed for the next three-and-a-half seasons. Williams played 43 games with the Rams and recorded six interceptions before becoming a free agent in 2022.

The Jaguars signed Williams to a three-year, $30 million contract, but he played only two of those years. Despite a strong second season in Jacksonville, Williams was released by the team earlier in March to clear $11.5 million in additional salary cap space.

As a player who was released, the contract Williams receives from the Rams won’t affect the Jaguars’ chances at getting a compensatory draft pick in 2024, which is unlikely anyway given the team’s activity Monday.

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Jaguars signing Ravens CB Ronald Darby to 2-year contract

The Jaguars are adding another veteran to their secondary by signing Ronald Darby.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have an agreement in place with Baltimore Ravens cornerback Ronald Darby on a two-year contract worth a maximum of $10 million, according to Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report.

Darby, 30, began his career as a second-round draft pick of the Buffalo Bills in 2015 and was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles just before the start of the 2017 season. After three years with the team, Darby played one season with the Washington Football Team, two seasons with the Denver Broncos, and the 2023 season with the Ravens.

In Baltimore, Darby was credited by PFF with allowing 31 receptions on 60 targets in 2023 with only one penalty and one touchdown allowed.

At the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke called cornerback “a group that we need to address.” That deficiency was exacerbated when the Jaguars made the decision to release Darious Williams in a move that saved the team $11.5 million in salary cap space.

For now, Darby is the favorite to start in the Jaguars secondary opposite Tyson Campbell, although that could change if the team targets a cornerback early in the 2024 NFL draft.

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Wil Lutz changes his mind and will stay in Denver after all

Wil Lutz initially agreed to a contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but quickly changed his mind. Lutz chooses to stay with Sean Payton in Denver

Need a reminder that no player can officially sign with a new team until Wednesday? Former New Orleans Saints kicker Wil Lutz agreed to join the Jacksonville Jaguars early Monday afternoon, but he changed his mind before dinnertime. The contracts announced during the tampering window can only be agreed to, but not officially signed. Due to this, Lutz can return to the Denver Broncos without actually breaking his deal with Jacksonville.

Lutz has previously stated his best years were with Sean Payton. Coincidentally, or not, Lutz found some of his magic again in Denver. Lutz only missed 4 field goals all year and went on multiple 5-plus week stretches without a missed attempt. Lutz’s best years were with Payton and his future years will be with Payton as well.

Wil Lutz changes mind to stay with Broncos rather than join Jaguars

The Jaguars will have to look elsewhere to fill their kicker vacancy.

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ solution for the kicking game was short-lived. According to multiple reports, Wil Lutz decided to stay with the Denver Broncos after agreeing to terms on a three-year contract with the Jaguars earlier in the day Monday.

Denver acquired Lutz in a trade with the New Orleans Saints — reuniting him with Sean Payton — just prior to the 2023 season. He made 30 of his 34 field goals in his first year with the team and was reportedly considered a “top priority” for the Broncos this offseason.

But with the legal tampering period opening Monday and no deal in place with the Broncos, the Jaguars jumped in the mix with an offer that, for a brief period, had Lutz set to leave Denver.

That won’t be the case after all and the Jaguars are presumably back on the hunt for a new kicker in 2024.

Last season, the job was handled by Brandon McManus who was signed by the Jaguars shortly after he was released by the Broncos. After making 23 of his first 25 field goals in Jacksonville, McManus missed five out of six during a costly stretch late in the season.

In February, the Jaguars also reunited with their 2022 kicker, Riley Patterson, with a reserve/futures deal. Other free agent kickers include Greg Joseph, Joey Slye, and Randy Bullock.

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Jaguars signing Ravens’ 2-time Pro Bowl returner Devin Duvernay

The Jaguars are signing one of the NFL’s best returners to replace Jamal Agnew.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a deal in place to sign Baltimore Ravens return specialist Devin Duvernay to a two-year, $8.5 million contract when he becomes a free agent Wednesday, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Duvernay, 26, earned two Pro Bowl nods and All-Pro honors in his four seasons with the Ravens. He averaged at least 11 yards per punt return in all four seasons and led the league in 2021 with 13.8 yards per return. On kickoffs, Duvernay has a career average of 24.8 yards per return with two return touchdowns.

For the last three years, the Jaguars have had Jamal Agnew returning punts and kicks. While he earned Pro Bowl honors for the 2022 season, Agnew’s last season with Jacksonville was cut short by a fractured leg. He’s due to become a free agent Wednesday.

The Jaguars also drafted wide receiver Parker Washington in the sixth round last year and turned to him in the return game with Agnew out of action, but got underwhelming results.

As a receiver, Duvernay caught 122 passes for 880 yards and five touchdowns in his first three seasons with the Ravens. But with the additions of Zay Flowers and Odell Beckham Jr. to the offense, Duvernay finished the 2023 season with only four receptions for 18 yards.

According to Rapoport, offensive incentives could raise the value of Duvernay’s deal to $12.5 million.

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Wil Lutz’s stay with the Denver Broncos ends sooner than expected

Wil Lutz’s stay with the Denver Broncos is ending sooner than expected. He’s expected to sign a multiyear contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars:

So much for that: former New Orleans Saints kicker Wil Lutz is ending his run with the Denver Broncos sooner than fans may have thought. He’s expected to sign a three-year contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars when the new league year opens on March 13, again splitting ways with his longtime coach Sean Payton.

Lutz connected on 30 of his 34 field goals (88.2%) for Denver after being traded away from the Saints, once Payton’s successor Dennis Allen determined that rookie kicker Blake Grupe was a better option. Lutz’s longest successful field goal traveled 52 yards while he missed from longer distances of 57 and 55 yards; his average try was 34.97 yards.

Compare that to Grupe, who hit 30 of his 37 attempts (81.1%) in New Orleans from an average distance of 39.16 yards. Grupe’s longest make traveled 55 yards, but he went 1-for-2 on kicks from 54 yards. Grupe also hit all 40 of his extra point tries while Lutz missed twice on 31 attempts.

So what did the Broncos give up for 17 games with Lutz? A seventh-round pick in the 2024 draft, falling at No. 239 overall. Depending on how active they are in free agency Denver could get a compensatory pick back in 2025, but Payton has bigger problems to worry about after kicking off an extensive rebuild — which Lutz won’t be a part of.

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Jaguars signing Broncos kicker Wil Lutz to 3-year deal

For the second straight offseason, the Jaguars looked to Denver for an upgrade at the kicker position.

Update: Wil Lutz has reportedly changed his mind and will stay with the Denver Broncos on a two-year contract.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a deal in place to sign Denver Broncos kicker Wil Lutz to a three-year contract when he becomes a free agent Wednesday, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Terms of the contract haven’t yet been revealed.

Lutz, 29, was acquired by the Broncos in a trade last offseason and made 30 of his 34 field goals in his only season with the team. Prior to that, he played six seasons with the New Orleans Saints where he made 165 of 195 field goals.

Last offseason, the Jaguars replaced kicker Riley Patterson with Brandon McManus after the latter was released by the Broncos. In his only season with Jacksonville, McManus made 23 of his first 25 field goals before suffering through a brutal stretch late in the year where he missed five of six field goals. That included a 48-yard miss against the Cincinnati Bengals that would’ve given the Jaguars a lead with five minutes left in the fourth quarter.

McManus is scheduled to become a free agent when the new league year begins Wednesday.

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