Jaguars Make Handful Of Roster Moves
- The Jaguars signed punter Ryan Quigley and wide receiver Shane Wynn while waiving safety Craig Loston, cornerback Rashaad Reynolds, and defensive end Quanterus Smith, according to Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Quigley was on the Eagles’ offseason roster for a little over a month earlier this offseason.
Former Starter Dwayne Gratz May Struggle To Make Team
- Dwayne Gratz started 13 games for the Jaguars during the 2014 season, but the cornerback may have issues even making next year’s roster. As Ryan O’Halloran of Jacksonville.com writes, with Aaron Colvin, Davon House, Prince Amukamara and Jalen Ramsey presumably ahead of him on the depth chart, the 26-year-old recognizes that he’s simply competing for a roster spot. “It’s going to be big,” Gratz said. “I have to understand it’s not a given and that if I don’t do my job, I won’t end up on this team, which I would like to be a part of because a lot of special things are going to happen. I understand the situation I’m in.”
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La Canfora: Gus Bradley Facing Make-Or-Break Year
- Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports examined the job security of each NFL head coach entering the season. In La Canfora’s estimation, Rex Ryan (Bills), Gus Bradley (Jaguars), Jim Caldwell (Lions), Mike McCoy (Chargers), Marvin Lewis (Bengals), Bill O’Brien (Texans) and Jason Garrett (Cowboys) are the least secure coaches going into this year. Of that group, two (Lewis and O’Brien) were at the helm of playoff teams last season. Ryan has only been in Buffalo for a year, making him the shortest-tenured member of the septet.
Jaguars Notes: Hurns, Amukamara
Allen Hurns did well for himself on his newly-signed extension with the Jaguars, Bryce Johnston of Over The Cap writes. Hurns gave up only three years of free agency but he secured more new guaranteed cash than Jordan Reed or Harrison Smith who gave up five. Locking up Hurns required a four-year, $40MM+ pact with ~$20MM in guarantees, but as Johnston notes, the Jags did not give up their financial flexibility. Going forward, the Jaguars should have enough room to take care of their other young talents.
- Free agent pickup Prince Amukamara is making a smooth transition with the Jaguars, Hays Carlyon of The Florida Times-Union writes. The cornerback, who turned 27 on Monday, offers a skill set that is a good fit for Gus Bradley’s defense. “One thing I really like about him is he can play bump and run,” Jaguars defensive backs coach DeWayne Walker said. “That’s something that’s standing out already. He’s going to have to continue to learn the rest of the defense and just get comfortable with our style. The bump and run part of it is real good so far. That was something I was very attracted to watching on tape when he was being evaluated, and it’s carried over.” The former Giant signed on a one-year deal in March that gives him $3MM guaranteed with the potential of reaching $5.5MM.
O'Halloran: Six Returning Jags Who Could Be On The Bubble
- Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida-Times Union takes a look at six returning Jaguars who could be on the roster bubble, a list headlined by Tyson Alualu and Dwayne Gratz.
Allen Robinson Could Be Next Jaguar To Be Extended
- After Allen Hurns inked a four-year, $40MM extension with the Jaguars last week, fellow receiver Allen Robinson is likely the next in line, according to Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com, who adds that that Robinson could garner $70-80MM over a five-year term. Robinson can’t be extended until after the 2016 season, nor can quarterback Blake Bortles or center Brandon Linder, both of could also be up for long-term deals. Linebacker Telvin Smith, meanwhile, could the be the odd man out, in DiRocco’s view.
Peyton Thompson Sees Opportunity To Make Week 1 Roster
- When deciding whether he should accept a paycut this offseason or risk being released, Dolphins TE Jordan Cameron spoke with a number of people, including current Jaguars TE Julius Thomas, as James Walker of ESPN.com writes. Per Cameron, Thomas “called me immediately and said you have to play for [new Dolphins head coach Adam Gase]. I’ve had a lot of conversations about [Gase] and what he can do. It was kind of the things I heard about Coach Gase (that helped make my decision).” Gase was Thomas’ offensive coordinator in Denver, and he is well-known for having success with tight ends. In the end, of course, Cameron agreed to take the paycut.
- The Jaguars‘ Peyton Thompson has been cut six times by four different teams since he entered the league in 2013, but after making the switch from cornerback to safety, Thompson feels as though this year marks the best chance he has had to make a Week 1 roster, as Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union writes. Thompson appeared in 15 games for Jacksonville last season, and he will compete this year to be a key special-teamer and backup to newly-signed safety Tashaun Gipson. Thompson says, “The amount of special teams I can play and being somebody [the team] can interchange from from cornerback to nickel to safety and know the whole defense no matter where I am, that definitely gives me the upper hand.”
Jaguars Reached Out To Rodney McLeod
- Before settling in on a five-year, $37MM contract with the Eagles, safety Rodney McLeod received similar offers from other teams. Jimmy Kempski of The Philly Voice tweets that McLeod heard from the Jaguars, Browns, and Buccaneers.
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More Reactions to Allen Hurns’ Extension
Allen Hurns got paid. The 24-year-old inked a four-year extension yesterday rumored to be worth $40MM (with $20MM in guaranteed money).
While some NFL players are content with securing a big payday and then coasting, the former undrafted free agent is still looking to prove a point.
“It [the contract] for sure won’t change me,” Hurns told ESPN.com’s Mike DiRocco. “No matter how much money I make I’m still going to step on the field thinking about the day I went undrafted. That will stay with me forever.”
Hurns has clearly already proven that he belongs in the NFL. In two seasons, the former Miami Hurricanes standout has compiled 115 catches for 1,708 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Let’s take a look at some more notes pertaining to Hurns’ pricey extension…
- DiRocco writes that Hurns’ new deal came together relatively quickly. The two sides began negotiating shortly after the NFL draft, and the extension truly gained traction when agent Drew Rosenhaus visited Jaguars executives on Thursday.
- While some front offices may be wary of extending a former undrafted free agent, Hurns track record proved that he was worth the risk. “He’s done it two years in a row,” said Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell (via Hays Carlyon of Jacksonville.com). “This wasn’t just a one-year wonder and that’s another reason why we felt comfortable with it. Two years of production, plus the type of person and character he is. It was the right decision on our part.”
- Despite being his team’s second receiver and having only played two seasons in the NFL, Hurns $10MM annual salary still ranks tenth among NFL wideouts, notes Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com. Hurns restricted free agent tag provided the Jaguars with some leverage, but Fitzgerald believes Hurns emerged with the “best deal signed by a player in that spot since Arian Foster.”
Reactions To Allen Hurns’ Extension
Jaguars wide receiver Allen Hurns says that teammates, including tight end Julius Thomas, have been busting his chops over his $40MM contract extension.
“Like he hasn’t been paid,” Hurns said of Thomas (via ESPN.com’s Mike DiRocco). “He’s just loud. Me and [Allen Robinson] gave him a lot of problems last year and he said that our time was going to come around.”
Thomas, of course, signed a five-year, $46MM deal with the Jaguars last year. Today, however, Hurns is the talk of Jacksonville. Here’s a look at some of the reactions to Hurns’ fat new contract plus a glance at how it may affect the wide receiver market going forward:
- The market for No. 2 wide receivers has been reset after Hurns inked a four-year, $40MM extension with the Jaguars, Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets. Dehner adds that the deal puts Marvin Jones‘ sizable contract in perspective. This spring, Jones got a five-year, $40MM deal from the Lions with $17MM fully guaranteed ($20MM guaranteed overall).
- Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com looked at how Hurns’ deal with Jacksonville could affect Doug Baldwin‘s negotiations with the Seahawks. Baldwin, he argues, has a legitimate case to be paid at Hurns’ level. While Hurns’ average of 16.1 yards per reception was better than Baldwin’s 13.7 ypc offering, Baldwin was more efficient with a catch rate of 80.4%, compared to 62.1% for Hurns. One notable difference, of course, is age – Hurns is 25 and Baldwin is 28. When all is said and done, Kapadia feels that the Seahawks will at least have to match the four-year, $40MM extension given to Hurns if they want to keep Baldwin in the long run.
- Hurns, who broke into the league as an undrafted free agent, is making $9.935MM in his first three NFL seasons. Only 2014’s top ten picks made more in the first three years of their rookie deals, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com tweets.