Jaguars' Andre Cisco Named Contract Year Breakout Candidate

CBS has Andre Cisco as one of five candidates to cash in on a contract year.

Jacksonville Jaguars safety Andre Cisco (5) runs onto the field before an NFL football matchup Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the Indianapolis Colts 37-20. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA

Perhaps no player cashed in on a contract year in 2023 quite like Jacksonville Jaguars' pass-rusher Josh Allen did. Can another member of the Jaguars' defense follow in his footsteps?

After playing on the fifth-year option to enter 2023, Allen recorded 17.5 sacks and earned a Pro Bowl nod with a career year. Allen turned this breakout season into a five-year, $141.25 million deal earlier this offseason. Allen, perhaps better than any other NFL player in the alst several years, showed the upside to turning a contract year into a career year.

The Jaguars now have several members of their 2024 roster playing under such circumstances. Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne do not count since their fifth-year options for 2025 were exercised. But there are other names.

The top three are cornerback Tyson Campbell, safety Andre Cisco, and offensive tackle Walker Little. Cam Robinson and Mac Jones are two other notable names. But of the five, which is the most likely to cash in?

In a look at the top five contract year breakout candidates, CBS Sports named Cisco as one of the five.

If you don't pay close attention to the Jaguars, or maybe your favorite team isn't in the AFC playing the Jaguars twice a year, the name Andre Cisco probably doesn't mean much to you. But let me tell you, this is one of the premier young safeties in football.

The former Syracuse star, whose final season with the Orange was cut way short due to an early injury, has elite ball-tracking range. After experiencing the nightmarish Urban Meyer experiment that went about as well as the Stanford prison experiment, Cisco had three interceptions in 2022 and tacked on four last season.

And he just turned 24 in March. The 6-foot, 210-pounder is built like a stocky strong safety but glides to the football downfield like he's making the transition from playing center field on a Major League Baseball team. Do not be surprised if Cisco's interception total rises again, which then leads to a sizable new deal either during or after his fourth season in Jacksonville.

- Chris Trapasso, CBS Sports

After 26 tackles, two pass deflections, and two forced fumbles in 17 games (three starts) as a rookie, Cisco has grown into a legitamate playmaker for the Jaguars' defense in the last two years.

In the last two years, Cisco has started all 30 games he has started in and recorded seven interceptions, 15 pass deflections, 135 tackles, two tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks.

Cisco will return to the starting lineup in 2024 after battling a shoulder injury in 2024. Under new defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen, Cisco could quickly become a playmaker the Jaguars can't help but pay next offseason.