What Grade Does ESPN Give the Jaguars For Their Offseason?

What kind of marks did the Jaguars receive for their moves in the 2024 offseason?

Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke walks off the field after the organized team activity session Monday, June 3, 2024 at EverBank StadiumÕs Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union] / Bob Self/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY

The Jacksonville Jaguars are fresh off a potentially franchise-defining offseason thanks to big-money moves to extend Trevor Lawrence and Josh Allen.

That wasn't all the Jaguars did this offseason, either. They completely rebuilt the wide receiver room, added a big-name defensive lineman to join Allen and Travon Walker, and saw their secondary trade out three of five starters.

But in comparison to the rest of the NFL, how did the Jaguars truly fare with their offseason moves? That is the question posed by ESPN's Seth Walder. Walder graded every team's offseason, while also noting his favorite and least favorite moves.

For the Jaguars, Walder's grade ended up as a C+. Four other teams received the same grade, including the New York Giants, Buffalo Bills, Washington Commanders and Arizona Cardinals. Ultimately, the Jaguars ended up with a better grade than six other teams.

Walder noted that he thought the Jaguars' best move was their draft day trade for Brian Thomas Jr., which saw them move down from No. 17 to No. 23 while picking up two top-100 picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. As for worst move, Walder said the Jaguars' loss of Darious Williams qualified after the kind of year he had in 2023.

"Jacksonville's offseason started with coaching moves that surprised me. It fired defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell but retained offensive coordinator Press Taylor even though the offense ranked 26th in EPA per play despite having Lawrence at quarterback. (The defense ranked 14th.)

The most significant moment in Jacksonville's offseason came last week, though, when the team signed Lawrence to a five-year, $275 million contract with $142 million guaranteed at signing. Though the $55 million per year number ties Joe Burrow for the most expensive APY, Burrow's deal was signed a year ago and therefore was more expensive.

Though it's big money, Lawrence's deal is not among the top 10 contracts in terms of APY over the past decade after adjusting for cap inflation. It's closer in line to Dak Prescott's deal in 2021, according to historical contract data from OverTheCap. I'm a believer in Lawrence and think signing him now makes sense -- the price will go up next year because of cap inflation but also because he'll likely be coming off a better season.

The team also signed edge Josh Allen to a five-year deal with $76.5 million fully guaranteed, averaging more than $28 million per year. I'm a little wary given that Allen has just one season with 11 sacks or more (17.5 last season) and his pass rush win rate is just average at 16%. I might have been tempted to let him play on the franchise tag in 2024 and see if he can repeat his performance."

- Seth Walder, ESPN

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