Andrew Wingard Weighs In on State of Jaguars' Culture

What does long-time safety Andrew Wingard think about the culture inside the Jacksonville Jaguars' locker room?

Jacksonville Jaguars safety Andrew Wingard (42) looks on during the first quarter Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

2024 has been a long, grueling year in Jacksonville.

After lofty preseason expectations and hopes of contending for an AFC South title, the Jaguars are entering the final game of the season with a 4-12 record. The locker room and head coach Doug Pederson have owned the failures of one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history, but that doesn't take away the sting.

With that said, the Jaguars are not operating like past failing Jaguars teams have. In the past, the Jaguars would simply wave the white flag and openly concede that they had their eyes on the offseason.

This year, though, the Jaguars have not displayed quit in any game. They have been frustrated, out-played, out-coached, out-executed, and whatever else you want to call it. But the culture inside the locker room is nothing like past Jaguars teams, at least according to one of the longest-tenured players on the roster.

“Based off yesterday, we're not going to quit and we're grinders, honestly. That's never been an issue here. I'm telling you," safety Andrew Wingard said on Monday. I was here in 2019 when all the stuff with Jalen [Dolphins S Jalen Ramsey] was going down about him wanting to get traded and this and that. It isn’t that, and that's not good."

This year's Jaguars team, Wingard said, is not like the drama-filled 2019 roster. It also hasn't seen conflict like the 2021 season.

Instead, the Jaguars' 2024 failures have little to do with their effort and how they strive for success. The failures are still real, but it isn't as if the Jaguars' DNA is one that will need to be reset.

"There are no divas on this team. It's really, really crazy. We have grinders here. I mean, I was talking to [NFL Network Jaguars Analyst] Bucky Brooks after the game and it's like, you’ve got [LB] Foye Oluokun, who was a sixth-round draft pick who's now a high-paid guy. But he's the biggest grinder I've ever seen," Wingard said.

"[DE] Arik Armstead's a grinder. [DE] Josh [Hines-] Allen's a grinder. I mean, we’ve got all these guys who, we've practiced our asses off all year and we've worked hard. Like you said, you've had nine or 10 or whatever one-score games where it's like you just you're that close. But the culture is we’ve got dogs, we’ve got guys that work hard, and we’ve got guys that want to go out and be great. So that is not an issue in my opinion.”

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