Column: Shad Khan Can't Let Trent Baalke, Jaguars Bungle Josh Allen's Contract

It is time for the Jaguars owner to draw a line in the sand when it comes to his franchise's best player.

Shad Khan's tenure as Jacksonville Jaguars owner has seen its highs and lows on the field. 

Off the field, though, there is work to do. Primarily when it comes to star pass-rusher Josh Allen. 

After a career year in which he shattered the franchise record for sacks, became their first drafted Pro Bowler since Jalen Ramsey, and ultimately was the brightest spot for the entire franchise, Allen is still left in contract limbo. 

Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke made the obvious official on Thursday, stating that Allen will still be a Jaguar in 2024. Whether that means by the form of franchise tag or the multi-year extension he has earned remains to be seen, but it isn't hard to read in between the lines.

"I know Josh wants to be here, I know we want him here. Can we come to a number that works for everybody? That’s the key. I respect that," Baalke said. "Like I said last year with Evan’s (TE Evan Engram) situation, you got to respect these guys that put themselves in this position. They work hard, they deserve to make good money. What that good means to them could be different than what it means to us. We just got to come together, sit down at the table and work things out.”

It certainly wasn't a statement that made it seem like Baalke was chomping at the bit to make Allen the Jaguars' first-ever $100 million player, which seems like the floor for what a new deal for him would look like considering his age, production, and positional value. 

Baalke didn't heap praise on Allen. He didn't say they would make it work no matter what. He didn't even say they hoped to sign Allen as opposed to franchise tagging him. 

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For a player who has done everything right in his five years in Jacksonville -- on and off the field -- it still didn't sound like it was enough.

Sound familiar? It should. This has been a theme with the Jaguars over the last decade. Far too many times, their best players have had to sit on their hands and wait to be paid. Far too many times, the Jaguars have seemed unwilling to meet them at the negotiating table and do what's right. 

It is similar to the Yannick Ngakoue situation in 2019 and 2020. The Jaguars made it clear Ngakoue would never hit free-agency, which is certainly not operating in good faith. They made contract offers to him, but none that matched his production and value to that specific team. They wanted him, but they didn't need him. 

Sound familiar? It should, because it has been a theme that predates Baalke. 

In the same offseason that Ngakoue was eligible to be extended, the Jaguars paid a foolish price for a below-average free-agent quarterback in Nick Foles. While Ngakoue was left hanging in the wind, a number of players in the Jaguars' locker room were left wondering why. 

If Ngakoue couldn't get paid, then how could they? If Jalen Ramsey wasn't getting paid but Myles Jack was, what did that mean for them? If Blake Bortles could get paid despite being the least important and most replaceable piece of the 2017 team, then what about everyone else? If Marqise Lee got a new deal but Allen Robinson couldn't, then did anything that happened on the field really matter? 

These are all things I personally heard and was told in the Jaguars locker room during the 2019 season. Players keep a keen eye on contract negotiations. They track closely who gets paid and when, and who doesn't. And don't think for a second they aren't watching the Josh Allen situation or the Trevor Lawrence one that will shortly follow. 

That is why Khan should draw the line in the sand. The Jaguars have paid big money during his time as owner to free agent classes, but no player has ever gotten the contract that Allen is projected to receive. And he should make sure that he does.

Baalke is seemingly content on playing the tag-and-negotiate game with Allen, but that comes at the cost of losing the faith of those inside and outside the doors of EverBank Stadium and the Miller Electric Center. And there is no reason to. Allen is one of the most productive and most talented pass-rushers in the NFL.  

And unlike Ramsey and Ngakoue, being a Jaguar is important to him. When everyone else was jumping ship, Allen pledged his loyalty to Jacksonville. After proving himself on the field, he has earned being rewarded for it. And Khan should give his staff the directive that it must happen. 

In fact, it already should have happened. The Jaguars entering the offseason with both Allen and Calvin Ridley set to be free agents at the same time is a colossal failure. 

Allen should have been extended a year ago when all of the advanced data showed he was due for a breakout season. He should have been extended during the season, too, when other pass-rushers were getting paid despite Allen out-producing them.

Baalke and the Jaguars' front office don't like negotiating contracts during the season. It shouldn't matter in this case. Allen is the type of player you let name their price. He shouldn't be treated like the other players on the roster, because he isn't like the other players on the roster. He is their best player. 

As an owner, Khan has never been one to dictate to his staff what they must or must not do. He is patient and lets the people he hired do the jobs that he hired them to do, which is admirable. A lot of NFL franchises would be better off if they operated like this.

But in this case, Khan should step in. He can't let the Jaguars and Baalke hardball Allen and potentially ruin their relationship with their best player. The Jaguars and Khan have never paid a player what Allen will command, but it is past time they do it.

When it comes to Allen, Khan should draw the line in the sand and make it clear: pay the man. No other option makes sense.