Jaguars Sign Arden Key
On Wednesday, the Jaguars announced the signing of Arden Key. The defensive end will receive a one-year deal that could be worth up to $7MM (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). 
Key has always been viewed as an elite talent, dating back to his college days. Once considered a first-round prospect, Key fell to the Raiders in the third round of the 2018 draft. He didn’t shine with his original team, but he seemed to put it all together with the 49ers in his platform year. After notching 6.5 sacks and 17 quarterback hits, his career year led to a strong free agent market.
The Lions, Ravens, and Chiefs all looked into Key, but the Jaguars seem to have come away with the winning bid. The Niners, meanwhile, will be leaning more on Kerry Hyder for quarterback pressure.
The Jaguars could still look to add more pass rushers in the draft, but Key figures to be an important part of the edge rotation no matter what. It’s a huge step up for Key, who looked to be trending in the wrong direction as recently as 2020. In that year with the Raiders, Key played on roughly 40% of the defensive snaps but couldn’t manage a single sack.
It’s worth noting that another strong season could position Key for a much larger payday next year, especially since he won’t turn 26 until May.
Jaguars C Brandon Linder Retires
After eight seasons in Jacksonville, Brandon Linder is calling it a career. The veteran center announced his retirement on Monday (via Instagram). 
“After much reflection, I have realized that the man I currently aspire to be is no longer aligning with the person I must become to play this game”, he wrote. “It is at this time that I have decided to close this chapter of my life and retire from the NFL… I am grateful to fulfill my goal of retiring a lifetime Jaguar. Jacksonville will remain my home. I am excited to chase new dreams and I’m looking forward to all of the great things to come in the future.”
Linder, 30, was drafted by the Jaguars in the third round in 2014. Beginning as a right guard and transitioning to center two years later, he started all 88 regular season games he played in, along with three playoff contests. His play at the new position earned him a then record-breaking five-year, $51.7MM extension in 2017. Injuries started to become an issue not long after that deal, though.
In the four campaigns he played in after signing the new contract, Linder only played a full season once. He was placed on IR this past October, limiting him to nine games played (the same number he was available for in 2018 and 2020). His 62.9 PFF grade in 2021 was the lowest of his career, ending a streak in which he ranked amongst the best centers in the league and was often the best player on Jacksonville’s offensive line.
Linder’s retirement will save the Jaguars roughly $9.5MM in cap space, as none of his salary for the upcoming season was guaranteed. Given how tight to the cap the team was before today, that financial flexibility will be welcomed, though Linder’s consistency and level of play throughout his tenure will likely be difficult to replace.
Latest On Jaguars' Will Richardson Deal
- Will Richardson‘s one-year Jaguars deal is worth $2MM, Wilson adds (on Twitter). Jacksonville is guaranteeing the veteran backup $975K.
Jaguars Considering DE Travon Walker At No. 1 Overall
Linked to either Aidan Hutchinson or an offensive tackle at No. 1 overall, the Jaguars appear to have identified a sleeper for the honor of being the draft’s first player selected.
Buzz is building on Travon Walker, per ProFootballNetwork.com’s Tony Pauline, who adds the Jaguars have identified the Georgia defensive end as a player they could select with the first pick. The Jags will use one of their allotted 30 prospect visits for a Walker meeting.
Walker tested well at the Combine, posting a 4.51-second 40-yard dash despite his 272-pound frame. This bettered Hutchinson’s 4.74 clocking. Hutchinson (260 pounds) bettered Walker in the 20-yard shuttle and three-cone drills. The Michigan product also is coming off a dominant senior season, registering 14 sacks and forcing two fumbles, finishing second in the Heisman voting. Used as less of a pure edge compared to Hutchinson, Walker recorded six sacks as a junior to help the Bulldogs to their first national championship since 1980.
ESPN’s Scouts Inc. ranks Hutchinson as this draft’s top prospect, slotting Walker eighth. Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest mock draft sends Hutchinson to Jacksonville and Walker to Carolina at No. 6, though NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah moved Walker to the No. 2 overall pick. The Jags are “widely expected” to draft Hutchinson, ESPN.com’s Matt Miller adds, but Walker has at least crept into the equation.
Jacksonville using its franchise tag on left tackle Cam Robinson seemingly decreases the likelihood of a tackle pick. The team has used four first-round choices on defensive linemen since 2015 (Dante Fowler, Taven Bryan, Josh Allen, K’Lavon Chaisson), but the AFC South squad’s free agency spending spree did not include any edge rusher additions.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/24/22
Today’s minor moves:
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: CB Xavier Crawford
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: LB Joel Iyiegbuniwe
Rashaan Evans Visits Jaguars
The Jaguars could soon be making another addition to their linebacking corps. Rashaan Evans has met with Jacksonville, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). 
[RELATED: Jaguars To Sign LB Oluokun]
Evans, 26, has spent all four of his NFL seasons with the Titans, becoming a starter almost immediately. His most productive campaign was in 2019, when he totalled 111 tackles and 2.5 sacks. He continued as a starter, but the door was opened to a departure when the Titans declined the former first-rounder’s fifth-year option.
That move saved the Titans cap space for future investments in the position, such as Zach Cunningham, whom the team claimed off waivers this past December. If Evans does depart in free agency, they will have a hole to fill opposite the former Texan in the middle of their defense.
Jacksonville, meanwhile, has already made a sizeable addition at the position. They signed former Falcon – and 2021 NFL tackle leader – Foye Oluokun to a deal averaging $15MM per season. Not surprisingly, that move led to the release of Myles Jack, creating some financial flexibility after the team’s free agent spending spree, but also an opening for another veteran off-ball linebacker.
If Evans does land with the Jaguars, he would of course get the opportunity to play his former team twice per season. It would also represent another move by Jacksonville to upgrade a defensive unit which ranked in the bottom third of the league in almost every major category last year. To that point, the team has also added the likes of defensive tackle Folorunso Fatukasi and cornerback Darious Williams.
Latest On DE Arden Key
After a breakout year in San Francisco, defensive end Arden Key is generating a market for himself. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports that he is visiting with the Jaguars today, having already done so with the Lions (Twitter link). 
Key was a third round pick of the Raiders in 2018. He played three seasons in Oakland/Vegas, starting 10 of 37 games. He played only in a rotational role after his rookie campaign, however, and totalled 49 tackles and three sacks. After the team brought in more established names like Yannick Ngakoue and Quinton Jefferson along the front seven, however, he was cut last offseason.
The LSU product signed with the 49ers less than one week later, and enjoyed the best season of his career in San Francisco. While he was still only used in a rotational capacity, playing just 35% of the team’s defensive snaps, his stated goal of improving as a pass-rusher was realized. He registered 6.5 sacks and another five tackles for loss, which has earned him outside interest.
The Lions’ defensive front is headed by the likes of Michael Brockers and recent draftees Levi Onwuzurike and Alim McNeill. On the edges, they have Romeo Okwara and Charles Harris, each of whom are under contract for one more season. That holds true for Dawuane Smoot of the Jaguars as well, who also have Josh Allen and K’Lavon Chaisson in their edge-rushing corps.
While both the Jaguars and Lions could add more pass rushers with the top two picks in this year’s draft, Key would represent a solid depth addition to either team. Garafolo adds that there may be other teams meeting with him, so his final destination may not be known for a little while longer.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/21/22
Today’s minor NFL transactions:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: OL Greg Mancz
Cincinnati Bengals
- Re-signed (two-year deal): WR Stanley Morgan
Denver Broncos
- Signed: S J.R. Reed
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: K Ryan Santoso
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: LB Micah Kiser
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: P JK Scott
Miami Dolphins
- Re-signed: S Sheldrick Redwine
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: S A.J. Moore
- Released: G Corey Levin
Jaguars Re-Sign WR Laquon Treadwell
One of the few positive developments to come out of the Jaguars’ 2021 season: a career-high receiving total from Laquon Treadwell. While the former first-round pick has never lived up to that billing, he is now signed to play a seventh NFL season.
Treadwell will return to the Jaguars on a one-year deal, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. He will be part of a new-look wideout group, with the Jags having signed Christian Kirk and Zay Jones. The Jags have announced the Treadwell signing.
The 6-foot-2 possession receiver caught 33 passes for 434 yards and a touchdown in his first Jacksonville campaign. A former Vikings first-rounder, Treadwell had bounced on and off rosters since Minnesota cut him in 2019. Treadwell, 26, caught just 15 passes from 2019-20 but will have another opportunity to be a role player with the Jaguars.
Jacksonville will transition to Doug Pederson‘s offense and do so with mostly new pass catchers. Kirk is set to slide in as Trevor Lawrence‘s new WR1, while Jones and Evan Engram will play key roles as well. The team still has Marvin Jones under contract, and Laviska Shenault also remains on the team. D.J. Chark defected to the Lions in free agency. The Jags may not be done at the receiver position, with the draft looming as an obvious augmentation opportunity for the rebuilding team. But they have done extensive work on the position in free agency.
Giants Sign Jihad Ward
Free agent pass rusher Jihad Ward has found his new home in the NFL. The Giants announced that they have signed the veteran. 
[RELATED: Falcons To Sign LB Carter]
Ward, 27, was a second round pick of the Raiders in 2016. Despite starting 14 of 21 games, however, he was only there for two years, next spending nine games as a Colt split between the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
The second team he was on that year – the Ravens – is where he first played under Don Martindale. During 21 games in Baltimore, Ward registered four sacks (the most he’s had with any one team), along with two fumble recoveries. His play earned him a deal with the Jaguars, although he only started one of 17 contests in Jacksonville.
By signing with the Giants, Ward will reunite with Martindale, who became the team’s new defensive coordinator earlier this offseason. He will also likely have at least a rotational role available to him, as Lorenzo Carter signed with the Falcons earlier today.
Alongside Ward, New York currently has a pass-rushing corps which includes recent draftees Oshane Ximines, Azeez Ojulari, Elerson Smith and Quincy Roche. While he will add a veteran presence to the position group, the Giants are widely expected to target more help in that department using one of their two top-ten picks in April’s draft.