2023 NFL Free Agency: Josh Allen Reacts to Arden Key's Deal With Titans

Count Josh Allen as one of the many disappointed Jaguars on Tuesday evening.

It is never easy losing a teammate. It is even harder losing a teammate to your most bitter, hated rival.

Such was the case for the Jacksonville Jaguars on Tuesday evening, however, as former pass-rusher and emotional leader Arden Key left the Jaguars to sign a three-year deal with the Tennessee Titans. 

In response to the Jaguars losing such a key defender, pass-rusher Josh Allen took to social media to ensure his thoughts on Key joining the Titans were known.

Noooooooo 🗣

— Joshua Hines-Allen (@JoshHinesAllen) March 15, 2023

No pass-rusher was more efficient for the Jaguars in 2022 than Key. While playing mostly as a rotational player and sub-package edge rusher, Key led the Jaguars' defensive line and edge rushers in pass-rush win-rate and was second on the team in pressures and quarterback hits despite not being an every-down player. When injuries hit, it was Key who stepped up.

Appearing in 20 games for the Jaguars, Key recorded 4.5 sacks and five tackles for loss.

"Key made the most of a one-year flier with the Jaguars after a strong 2021 season with the San Francisco 49ers that got his career back on track, earning his second consecutive 70.0-plus pass-rush grade to go along with 90 combined quarterback pressures and 11 sacks over the stretch," Pro Football Focus wrote.

"Key’s 14.6% pressure percentage over the past two seasons ties for 17th among edge defenders, and he’s still an ascending player with the ability to rush the passer from all over the defensive line."

"You try to keep your core together. You try to sign as many of your free agent players as you can," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said at the NFL Scouting Combine. 

"This business, you know you’re going to lose some. We try to sign them all if you can. We’ve got some talented guys that we’d like to have back, but we’ll wait and see, see how the process plays itself out. I think the difference for us is these are really good players we’d like to have back, then you build through this process. You build through the draft and just add depth and talent that way.”