THURSDAY, 3:47pm: Beachum’s pact is a one-year, $4.5MM deal plus a four-year option worth $40MM, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). It’s a creative deal for the left tackle who is coming off of an ACL injury.
WEDNESDAY, 2:44pm: The Jaguars have officially signed Beachum, per John Oehser of Jaguars.com (Twitter link).
TUESDAY, 4:23pm: The Jaguars have agreed to sign offensive tackle Kelvin Beachum, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Exact terms of the deal are not yet known.
Beachum, 26, was on his way to becoming one of the more reliable left tackles in the NFL before a torn ACL wiped out most of his 2015 season. The fact that he hasn’t fully recovered from that injury could have put a damper on his market, but teams apparently were confident that he would return to 100% health. Few offensive linemen on the market had as much upside as Beachum, who didn’t miss a game in 2014 as the Steelers’ left tackle.
In addition to the Jaguars and the incumbent Steelers, Beachum also drew interest from the Jets and Seahawks. The Jaguars, however, appeared to be his most fervent suitor. On Monday, it was reported that the Jags tried to convince the free agent not to board his flight going from Jacksonville to Pittsburgh. The Jaguars, ostensibly, did not want the lineman to leave without inking a contract, but the doors on the flight were already shut by the time the team reached him.
The Steelers, meanwhile, addressed their tackle situation on Tuesday afternoon by signing former Broncos lineman Ryan Harris. Once the Steelers moved on, the decision probably became a lot easier for Beachum.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
The kittens have officially become cats again.
I wish they would have signed Beachum but it’s a risk signing an OL who tore his knee up. Hope he does well in Jax
Looks like the hard sell paid off for the Jaguars here. Wondering what this means for Luke Joeckel’s long-term future as fifth-year option decision time nears. Because Jacksonville, which still is among the top 5 teams in terms of cap space, already has Jermey Parnell locked up to one of the richest right tackle deals. Joeckel’s fifth-year option could cost the team $12MM in 2017, and he hasn’t shown much.