In part two of our first offseason mailbag, we take a look at the Jaguars’ needs and what a strong offseason could look like.
Q: Do you make anything of Baalke not speaking to the press yet? Last season, he spoke on 1/24; 3 days after the Chiefs/Jags Playoff game. I know he’ll talk at the combine but they usually talk before. Think he’s on a hot seat or maybe just waiting til a DC is hired?
A: No, I don’t make anything of it. Not every general manager speaks after the season. He is the general manager and will continue to be.
Q: How much confidence you have in Baalke and Pederson to solve most of the current problems?
A: I think each deserves some consideration. Baalke has done good things throughout his tenure, even if there are some big-picture issues at times. And Doug Pederson has led the Jaguars to an efficient offensive performance before. I think each can do it, it just comes down to pushing the right buttons at the right times during the offseason process.
Q: Will the Jags front office efforts be for retooling or rebuilding the team for next season?
A: It is absolutely retooling. The Jaguars have built their foundation: whether right or wrong, they are not in a position to rebuild. They have to make it work with most of what they have now, though they will still have the resources in both the draft and free agency to improve the roster in the short- and long-term. It isn’t as if the Jaguars have won three games in a two-year span like they did just a few years ago, either. They have still won nearly 20 games in two years. They need to improve, but they don’t need to blow it up.
Q: Hey John, I know you’re part sportswriter/therapist right now, but I’ve a two part question for you. We all know what this teams needs this offseason, but how realistic is it to acquire all these positions in your opinion? And the second question, this is a huge year coming up for Trevor and his play obviously was affected by these deficiencies on the team. What is his contract going to look like (if there is one) if he has another year like this year?
A: I think it is fairly realistic. For as many issues as the Jaguars had down the stretch, a lot can be solved with two simple things: finding interior offensive linemen and interior defensive linemen. If the Jaguars improve in the trenches, then the running game and offense look significantly different, and the pass-rush and run defense rebound and help ensure the Jaguars can go back to playing their brand of football.
For specifics on Lawrence’s deal, I think a deal like Jalen Hurts’ makes sense. Five years for $250 million and over $100 million in guarantees. It would be a top quarterback contract, but it wouldn’t be resetting the market.
Q: Are Doug Pederson and or Trent Baalke on the hot seat right now?
A: I have zero reason to think so. It was pretty well accepted within the walls of EverBank Stadium in the final weeks of the season that Pederson would need to make staff changes, which shows that he was always safe — as he should be. As for Trent Baalke, the impression I get is that is business as usual. The Jaguars would have made a move by now if it was any other case.
Q: In your own opinion, how much cap space the Jaguars are going to have in the upcoming season?
A: According to Spotrac, the Jaguars have $29,007,209 set in available cap space as things stand today. Factor in a likely franchise tag for Josh Allen (projected at $18,590,000) and make a few cap-friendly moves in releasing Cam Robinson, Rayshawn Jenkins, Foley Fatukasi and Brandon Scherff and the Jaguars come out to around $44.28 million in cap space.
Q: Do you think that winning is Shad Khan’s #1 priority as an owner?
A: I think so. I haven’t seen or experienced anything that would make me think otherwise. He trusts the people he hires and isn’t a quick-trigger owner, but that doesn’t mean his priority isn’t winning. In terms of resources, he gives the team everything they need.
Q: What is the best-case scenario of the offseason that you feel is realistic?
A: Jaguars find two new starting offensive linemen, re-sign Ezra Cleveland on a smaller deal, re-sign Josh Allen and Calvin Ridley to multi-year extensions, sign Christian Wilkins, Grover Stewart, and Josh Uche, and then find interior offensive linemen and defensive backs through the draft.
Q: Can the Jags realistically get 5 day one starters through the draft and free agency?
A: I think so., though I do wonder just how many starters the Jaguars even need to replace. The Jaguars will likely need to replace at least one starting defensive tackle, a safety and potentially three interior offensive linemen. Otherwise, most of the Jaguars’ needs are depth-specific.
Q: What is there to be positive about? A lot of (deserved) doom and gloom given how the year ended.
A: The Jaguars still have good players on their books for 2024. Josh Allen, Christian Kirk, Evan Engram, Travis Etienne, Anton Harrison, Andre Cisco, Foyesade Oluokun and others raise the floor of the offense. Plus, the Jaguars still have a top-10 quarterback in Trevor Lawrence — even if 2023 was a poor season statistically.
Q: The interior D-Line was a disappointment this season. Do we know the specifics of Hamilton’s health scare? Expectations were high for him after the contract extension and training camp, but it ended up being a lost season with a couple games were he wasn’t even active. Was it a fluke and will he be able to bounce back?
A: From Jaguars.com on Dec. 22:
Hamilton in a very real sense is pleased to be playing in any circumstance. He developed a spinal abscess during the preseason, major infection that kept him out the first seven games of the season – and one he said could have threatened his ability to play long-term.
“A lot of stuff was going on,” he said. “A lot of side effects were going on. I was in a weird place. This isn’t really a normal illness, or a normal infection people get. It was very strange. I feel very fortunate. There was a lot of stuff that could have happened. I could be not playing football permanently.
“I’m incredibly blessed to be back where I am. I’m so thankful for the people who supported me.”
