Why Signing Evan Engram to an Extension Would Make Sense for the Jaguars
The countdown to the franchise tag deadline is approaching quickly.
We are officially in the area where teams have less than a month to agree to terms with franchise-tagged players on multi-year deals.
Teams and franchise players can sign multi-year extensions until July 17 (the typical deadline is July 15 unless on a weekend; because July 15 is on a Saturday this year, the deadline is the following Monday).
For the Jaguars, that means one more month to figure out a deal for tight end Evan Engram before a pivotal 2023 season and 2024 offseason.
Engram had a career year in 2022 as he caught 73 passes for 766 yards and four touchdowns, along with 12 catches for 124 yards and a touchdown in two playoff games.
Time and time again, Engram came up big for the Jaguars. He had several key third- and fourth-down conversions during pivotal wins, while also catching touchdowns in benchmark games such as vs. the Tennessee Titans and Los Angeles Chargers.
When the Jaguars needed critical conversions, they had a lot of players they could go to. But it was Engram who maybe most consistently came up big time after time during a end-of-season winning streak.
On the field, Engram produced. Off the field, Engram did the same. He stood out in the locker room and on the practice field thanks to his work ethic and drive to improve each day. The chip on his shoulder when he entered free-agency developed him into a leader by example, a player the Jaguars can point to as living proof of a culture that works.
"With a guy like that, you guys have all seen it, his work ethic, and our coaches and staff feel the same way. You don’t worry about him," Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence said in April.
Engram didn't participate in the offseason program since he is technically not under contract with an unsigned franchise tag. The former first-round pick would be the 10th-highest paid tight end by average value on the franchise tag in 2023, but only two tight ends above him (Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews) recorded more receiving yards last year.
Even in an offense with a number of other weapons, Engram was still producing at a high level. Among the highest of any non-Kelce tight end in the league. He proved himself on and off the field, is a good fit in the scheme and with the franchise quarterback, and just happens to be the only established tight end on a roster with a trio of primary backups who have a combined 11 catches in three NFL seasons among them.
There are questions the Jaguars have to answer elsewhere on the roster, which likely explains why months have gone on without an extension for Engram.
There are other top players on the roster set to be free agents in 2023 in Calvin Ridley and Josh Allen, neither of whom will return on a cheap deal. Then there are future deals for players like Trevor Lawrence and potentially other members of the 2021 Draft Class like Tyson Campbell or Andre Cisco.
The potential financial ramifications of an Engram deal would impact all of that ... but it doesn't matter. Even if on paper it may make more sense for the Jaguars to keep Engram tagged, it isn't what the team should do.
The team should extend Engram because he can be a reliable piece of the passing game for a period the team will be competing for Super Bowls in. The team should extend Engram because he is a proven warrior on and off the field and helped set the tone for the Jaguars' culture under Doug Pederson.
Paying Engram would not only give Lawrence security past 2023 at the tight end position, but it would show the rest of the locker room that if you do the right things, work hard, and produce plays that help bring wins to Jacksonville, then you are a player worth extending.
