Heading into the offseason, the Jacksonville Jaguars had a number of ways to address their starting tight end position. In a perfect world, they’d be able to retain Pro Bowl talent Evan Engram, who was set for free agency, but coming off a career year.
Yet, the 2023 NFL Draft class also presented several options, with many scouts suggesting a starter could be found in Round 3 or possibly even Round 4 if you’re lucky. Although they did select Brenton Strange in the second round, the Jaguars decided against relying on a young prospect becoming an instant contributor as a starter
Instead, they assigned the franchise tag on Engram, who’s set to turn 29 in September. Both Engram and the team never had any designs on parting ways, not after a strong playoff run.
So the one-year, $11.3 million tag was applied while the Jaguars worked to fill other needs. Yet, Engram never signed the franchise tender, hoping to reach a long-term agreement with the Jags instead.
On Sunday, that came to fruition when Engram agreed to a three-year, $41.5 million contract extension, with up to $24 million guaranteed. His $13.8 million average annual value places Engram as one of the highest-paid tight ends in football.
Engram recorded a career-high 766 receiving yards and four touchdowns catching passes from Trevor Lawrence in 2022. Now that they’ve had a year to build chemistry and work on their timing, what can Engram accomplish in 2023? If he stays healthy, the Jaguars have to be excited about the future with their athletic pass-catcher.
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