The Jacksonville Jaguars have already faced criticism from NFL analysts this offseason for losing Calvin Ridley to the Tennessee Titans. If they want to avoid the same thing happening with Josh Allen in 2025, they’ll need to pay a massive price for it.
Allen, the seventh overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. has been one of the best players on the Jaguars roster since he entered the league. A two-time Pro Bowl selection, the 6-foot-5 edge rusher is responsible for 103 quarterback hits, 53 tackles for loss and 45 sacks in his first five seasons.
- Josh Allen contract: $24.007 million guaranteed in 2024, NFL free agent in 2025
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With Ridley and Allen both eligible for NFL free agency this offseason, Jacksonville had to make a choice. Only one of the two players could receive the franchise tag, allowing the other to walk and test the open market. The team chose Allen and weeks later, RIdley spurned them for the Tennessee Titans in free agency.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated wrote that he does believe the Jaguars will eventually extend Allen’s contract, likely in July before the extension deadline. However, the star pass rusher holds all the leverage and his new deal will likely cost “in the neighborhood” of $28 million per season to get a deal signed.
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- Josh Allen stats (2023): 33 quarterback hits, 17 tackles for loss, 17.5 sacks
Allen holds a majority of the leverage right now. While Jacksonville could franchise tag him again in 2025, that would result in a 120 percent increase on his fully guaranteed salary. With the NFL salary cap increasing every year, the asking price at that point could be closer to $30 million annually.
It leaves the Jaguars’ front office with very few options and the criticism of how they handled Ridley’s situation only to lose him to a division rival would be even worse if Allen departs a year or two later. Because of that, Allen should have no trouble landing a multi-year extension worth around $28 million per season.
