Jaguars To Sign Jamal Agnew
The Jaguars just agreed to terms with defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris, and now they’re making their second pickup of the day. Jacksonville is signing return specialist/receiver Jamal Agnew, a source told Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).
The initial numbers are eye-popping, as Garafolo reports it’s a three-year deal that “maxes out” at $21MM. He says that includes “reachable incentives.” It’s a heck of a lot more than the two-year, $6MM deal fellow return ace Andre Roberts just got from the Texans. The Lions drafted Agnew in the fifth-round back in 2017, and he immediately made a name for himself on special teams.
He returned two punt returns for touchdowns as a rookie, led the league in punt return average, and was named a first-team All-Pro as a result. This past year he returned 14 punts for 178 yards and a touchdown, adding 28 kick returns for 783 yards (28 Y/R).
No matter how good of a returner he is, this kind of money is still surprising. It could mean that new Jags coach Urban Meyer envisions a role for him on offense. The Lions tried using him a bit as a gadget player this past year, as he finished with 13 catches for 89 yards and six carries for 33 yards.
Obviously he can make things happen with the ball in his hands, so it’ll be interesting to see what Jacksonville’s staff cooks up for him. Darrell Bevell, who coached Agnew in Detroit this past year, is the new OC for the Jaguars.
Jaguars To Sign Roy Robertson-Harris
The Jaguars have agreed to a three-year, $24.4MM deal with Roy Robertson-Harris (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). The defensive tackle will receive $14MM in guarantees as a part of the deal. 
Robertson-Harris started six of the Bears’ eight games before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury. His specialty is run-stuffing, so he played on roughly 50% of Chicago’s snaps. He’s also shown glimpses as a pass-rusher too, notching 2.5 sacks in 2019 and three the year prior. An UDFA from UTEP back in 2016, he’s already carved out a nice career for himself, despite injuries. He also missed his entire rookie season, spending it on the the NFI list.
The Bears kept Robertson-Harris with a second-round tender last year, but they couldn’t keep him for anything close to that one-year, $3.2MM deal. Instead, he’ll join up with Urban Meyer & Co., potentially with safety John Johnson.
Lions, Eagles, Jaguars, Browns Pursuing S John Johnson
One of the top defenders on the market is safety John Johnson, and it sounds like there are a handful of teams hot on his tail. Johnson’s market is beginning to take shape, with the Lions, Eagles, Jaguars, and Browns all showing interest, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports hears (Twitter link).
Adam Caplan of Sirius XM NFL Radio followed up by tweeting that the Browns are expected to make a “strong effort” in their pursuit of Johnson. Marcus Williams, Justin Simmons, and Marcus Maye were franchise tagged by the Saints, Broncos, and Jets respectively, only ensuring a bigger payday for Johnson by making him arguably the top safety on the market.
The Rams opted not to tag Johnson for financial reasons, and it seems like moving on from Los Angeles might be likely at this point. Johnson was the only player to play every single snap for a Rams defense that was one of the best in the league last season.
The 2017 third-round pick became a starter as a rookie, and had four interceptions as a sophomore in 2018. Perhaps the most appealing part about him is that he’s only 25 and won’t turn 26 until December.
Jaguars’ Andrew Norwell Takes Pay Cut
Andrew Norwell is staying put. On Monday, the veteran guard agreed to restructure his existing contract into a one-year deal with $9MM fully guaranteed (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). Through bonuses, Norwell can earn up to $12MM in 2021. 
Norwell earned first-team All-Pro honors with the Panthers, paving the way to a five-year, $66.5MM Jaguars deal in 2018. At the time, the deal made him the highest paid guard in the league.
He hasn’t reprised that performance yet, leading the Jaguars to shop him this offseason. There were no takers for the remainder of that deal, so the two sides went to the bargaining table. Norwell will give the Jaguars some relief and, in exchange, he’ll get to hit the open market one year earlier.
Norwell was limited to eleven games in 2018 as he dealt with an ankle injury. On the plus side, he’s been mostly healthy over the last two years. He played/started 16 games in 2019 and missed only three games last year.
The restructuring takes one item off of the Jaguars’ to-do list, freeing them to shop for other needs, including running back.
Jaguars Re-Sign Tre Herndon
The Jaguars have re-signed cornerback Tre Herndon, per a club announcement. Terms of the deal are not yet known. 
Herndon, a former UDFA, was set for restricted free agency. The Jaguars could have retained him for roughly $2.1MM – instead, they hashed out a new deal.
The Vanderbilt product started in 12 of his 14 games last season, bringing him to a total of 26 starts over the last two seasons. He finished out 2020 with 76 tackles and one sack while grading out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 90 ranked cornerback out of 121 qualifiers.
Now set to enter his fourth season in the NFL, Herndon is likely to be slotted as a reserve. Last year, Herndon was one of the Jags’ most penalized players with seven flags. Rookie C.J. Henderson will return as a starter, but the Jaguars will be looking to reboot the rest of their CB group. They’ll have a pretty clean slate, as corners D.J. Hayden, Sidney Jones, and Greg Mabin approach the open market.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/12/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Re-signed: TE Jaeden Graham
Green Bay Packers
- Waived: FB John Lovett
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Re-signed: OL Tyler Shatley
Los Angeles Chargers
- Released: LB Malik Jefferson
New York Giants
- Re-signed: WR C.J. Board
Jaguars Seeking Running Back Help
As any fantasy GM who landed James Robinson last season can attest to, the Jaguars did well by signing the Division I-FCS product after the 2020 draft. But the new Jacksonville regime would prefer competition in the backfield going into next season.
Robinson logged 240 carries last season. That total represented a staggering portion of the team’s rushing attempts. In the 14 games Robinson played, no other Jaguar running back logged more than 10 totes. That ratio will almost certainly change in Urban Meyer‘s first season.
“He’s tough. He has a great mindset, the type of player we’re looking. We have to add some explosive to that room as well and we have to be able to take some of the carries off of James,” Jags GM Trent Baalke said. “You can only ride a horse so long.”
Even after Cam Robinson‘s $13.75MM franchise tag, the Jags lead the league in cap space ($73.67MM). They could win a bidding war for any of the free agent backs. As of now, that group would stand to include Aaron Jones, Chris Carson, Kenyan Drake and Marlon Mack. The Broncos also have a decision to make regarding Phillip Lindsay‘s RFA tender.
A pursuit of Jones or Carson may not be in the cards, but the team will be in the mix for a complementary piece — be it in free agency or early in the draft. While Meyer said (via John Oehser of Jaguars.com) he hopes to build around Robinson, the new Jags HC indeed wants more ball-carrying talent on next year’s team.
“He has done a great job. He will continue to do a great job for the organization, and we feel he’ll even take a step forward from where he was a year ago,” Meyer said of Robinson. “But adding some competitiveness to that room … we feel we’ve got some guys in-house that can compete for roles but we’re certainly looking to add to that room as well.”
The Illinois State product rushed for 1,070 yards, which ranked fifth in the league last season. While Robinson is a ways away from the open market, the Jaguars can move to extend him after next season due to his UDFA status. The Jaguars do not have much in the way of depth behind Robinson; would-be contributor Ryquell Armstead‘s NFL return is uncertain after he missed the entire season due to COVID-19.
NFL’s Fifth-Year Option Salaries For 2021
The NFL’s 2021 salary cap has been set at $182.5MM, marking the league’s first reduction in a decade. With that, the league has also ironed out the value of this year’s fifth-round option for 2018 first-round picks.
Here’s the full rundown, via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter):
1. Baker Mayfield, Browns, QB — $18.858MM (playing time)
2. Saquon Barkley, Giants, RB — $7.217MM (1x Pro Bowl)
3. Sam Darnold, Jets, QB — $18.858MM (playing time)
4. Denzel Ward, Browns, CB — $13.294MM (1x Pro Bowl)
5. Bradley Chubb, Broncos, LB — $12.716MM (1x Pro Bowl)
6. Quenton Nelson, Colts, G — $13.754MM (2x Pro Bowl)
7. Josh Allen, Bills, QB — $23.106MM (1x Pro Bowl)
8. Roquan Smith, Bears, LB — $9.735MM (playing time)
9. Mike McGlinchey, 49ers, OT — $10.88MM (playing time)
10. Josh Rosen, Cardinals, QB*
11. Minkah Fitzpatrick, Steelers, S (drafted by Dolphins) — $10.612MM (2x Pro Bowl)
12. Vita Vea, Buccaneers, DT — $7.638MM
13. Daron Payne, Washington, DT — $8.529MM (playing time)
14. Marcus Davenport, Saints, DE — $9.553MM
15. Kolton Miller, Raiders, OT — $10.88MM (playing time)
16. Tremaine Edmunds, Bills, LB — $12.716MM (1x Pro Bowl)
17. Derwin James, Chargers, S — $9.052MM (1x Pro Bowl)
18. Jaire Alexander, Packers, CB — $13.294MM (1x Pro Bowl)
19. Leighton Vander Esch, Cowboys, LB — $9.145MM
20. Frank Ragnow, Lions, C — $12.657MM (1x Pro Bowl)
21. Billy Price, Bengals, C — $10.413MM
22. Rashaan Evans, Titans, LB — $9.735MM (playing time)
23. Isaiah Wynn, Patriots, OT — $10.413MM
24. D.J. Moore, Panthers, WR — $11.116MM (playing time)
25. Hayden Hurst, Falcons, TE (Drafted by Ravens) — $5.428MM
26. Calvin Ridley, Falcons, WR — $11.116MM (playing time)
27. Rashaad Penny, Seahawks, RB — $4.523MM
28., Steelers, S Terrell Edmunds — $6.753MM (playing time)
29. Taven Bryan, Jaguars, DT — $7.638MM
30. Mike Hughes, Vikings, CB — $12.643MM
31. Sony Michel, Patriots, RB — $4.523MM
32. Lamar Jackson, Ravens, QB — $23.106MM (1x Pro Bowl)
* Rosen was released from his original contract and, therefore, is not option-eligible
As a refresher, the fifth-year option year is now fully guaranteed. In the past, it was guaranteed for injury only. The values are also dependent on certain performance metrics:
- Two-time Pro Bowlers (excluding alternate Pro Bowlers) will earn the same as their position’s franchise tag.
- One-time Pro Bowlers will earn the equivalent of the transition tag.
- Players who achieve any of the following will get the average of the 3rd-20th highest salaries at their position:
- 75%+ snaps in two of their first three seasons
- 75%+ average across all three seasons
- 50%+ in each of first three seasons
- Players who do not hit any of those benchmarks will get the average of the 3rd-25th top salaries at their position.
NFL Sets $182.5MM Salary Cap
The NFL salary cap has been set at $182.5MM, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). This marks a sizable (though expected) drop from last year’s $198.2MM limit.
Teams will not be allowed to borrow cap room from future years, per the CBA, so teams are basically stuck with the hard cap and difficult choices ahead. However, teams do have other ways to navigate the cap, including rollover from 2020, post-June 1 cuts, and contract restructuring.
With the new salary cap, the league has also determined the values of this year’s franchise tag tenders (Twitter link):
- Quarterback $25.104MM
- Running Back $8.655MM
- Tight End $9.601MM
- Offensive Lineman $13.754MM
- Defensive End $16.069MM
- Defensive Tackle $13.888M
- Linebacker $14.791M
- Cornerback $15.06MM
- Kicker/Punter $4.482MM
Here’s the full rundown of this year’s franchise tags, including players on repeat tags who receive a 20% increase:
- Giants DL Leonard Williams $19.35MM
- Washington G Brandon Scherff $18.03MM
- Bears WR Allen Robinson $18MM
- Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin $15.98MM
- Jaguars OT Cam Robinson $13.75MM
- Panthers OT Taylor Moton $13.75MM
- Broncos S Justin Simmons $13.73MM
- Jets S Marcus Maye $10.61MM
- Saints S Marcus Williams $10.61MM
Jaguars Tag Cam Robinson
Now, a surprise tag. The Jaguars will use the franchise tag on offensive tackle Cam Robinson (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). 
Robinson was set to be one of the top tackles available this offseason and the Jaguars were expected to let him test the open waters. Instead, they’ll retain him at the top-five average for his position, which should come out to roughly $14MM for 2021.
You’d be hard-pressed to find any evaluator that would rank Robinson in the top five at tackle. In fact, Pro Football Focus assigned him an overall grade of 61.7, which placed him in a tie for 59th in the NFL. Still, Robinson is only 25 (26 in October) and young left tackles tend to get paid. Replacing Robinson this year or next year would have been costly, so the Jags opted for the tag. The decision may raise some eyebrows, but a sub-$14MM deal isn’t all that much for youth at a premium position.
Robinson will likely be protecting Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the presumptive No. 1 overall pick. He’ll have until the summer to hash out a long-term deal with the Jaguars, which would allow the team to smooth out his cap hit. A long-term pact could provide Robinson with security, though he’d also have to trade in multiple prime seasons.