The drama revolving around the Urban Meyer era led to another disappointing finish for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
While they tripled their win total from 2020, they own the top overall selection for the second straight year.
Last season, they used their first pick for quarterback Trevor Lawrence who had an up-and-down rookie campaign.
But now that they’ve hired a new head coach in Doug Pederson, the Jaguars knew that they had to surround Lawrence with more talent.
Therefore, they went on a frenzy during the first day of negotiations with free agents for the 2022 season, as NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero reported.
The #Jaguars negotiated $229.5 million of contracts today:
WR Christian Kirk 4 yrs, $72M
G Brandon Scherff 3 yrs, $49.5M
LB Foye Oluokun 3 yrs, $45M
DT Foley Fatukasi 3 yrs, $30M
WR Zay Jones 3 yrs, $24M
TE Evan Engram 1 yr, $9MAnd free agency is just starting …
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 15, 2022
Pelissero tweeted, “The #Jaguars negotiated $229.5 million of contracts today: WR Christian Kirk 4 yrs, $72M; G Brandon Scherff 3 yrs, $49.5M; LB Foye Oluokun 3 yrs, $45M; DT Foley Fatukasi 3 yrs, $30M; WR Zay Jones 3 yrs, $24M; TE Evan Engram 1 yr, $9M.”
These are great signings, especially if all players live up to the hype.
Scherff is an All-Pro guard currently considered as of the best in the game.
He will help provide protection for Lawrence, giving him more time to execute plays.
Meanwhile, he will have more targets on offense in Kirk, Jones, and Engram.
They will be nice additions to a receiving corps that already has Marvin Jones Jr and D.J. Chark.
Kirk is the biggest signing among the lot after he finished the 2021 season with 982 yards and five touchdowns for the Arizona Cardinals.
Beefing Up Their Defense
Aside from getting Lawrence much-needed help, the Jaguars also made adjustments on defense with Oluokun and Fatukasi.
The former Atlanta Falcon had the third-most tackles last season with 102, to go with two sacks, three interceptions, and a forced fumble.
Meanwhile, Fatukasi had 25 sacks for the New York Jets in 2021.
Despite all the signings Jacksonville made, they can still acquire more players because they are $19.4 million under the cap.
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