Will Jaguars' Tyson Campbell Sign a New Deal Before Training Camp?

With just a few days to go until Trent Baalke's normal timeline for deals, will the Jaguars get something done with Tyson Campbell?

Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Tyson Campbell (32) can't come up with an interception against Houston Texans wide receiver Brandin Cooks (13) during the fourth quarter Sunday, Dec. 2021 at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville. The Jaguars hosted the Texans during a regular season NFL game. Houston defeated Jacksonville 30-16. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] Jki 121921 Jagstexans 23 1 / Corey Perrine / USA TODAY NETWORK

When it comes to the Jacksonville Jaguars, there are only a few days left on the 2024 extension calendar.

The Jaguars have been busy this offseason, passing out franchise-record deals to quarterback Trevor Lawrence and pass-rusher Josh Hines-Allen, along with a re-done deal for linebacker Foyesade Oluokun. But there are still other contract-year players who are eligible to be paid this offseason, namely cornerback Tyson Campbell.

Campbell has long been rumored to be nearing a deal with the Jaguars; NFL Network's Ian Rapoport had this to say about the fourth-year cornerback last week:

“The Jaguars obviously have spent in free agency but what they’ve wanted to do, and owner Shad Khan came out and said a couple days ago, ‘We can’t be addicted to free agents.’ Well, okay, well they have a couple really good players on their roster who eventually will get some big-time paydays,” Rapoport said.

“I’m going to call attention to Tyson Campbell, the young corner who I think very quietly has emerged as one of the better young corners in the NFL. At some point, whether this year, in free agency, whenever, gonna end up being one of the higher-paid corners in the NFL. Stats aren’t great, coverage is great. This is the kind of guy that the Jaguars are going to want to pay and want to build around.”

But for Campbell and a potential deal, the clock is ticking. On Wednesday, the Jaguars will kick off training camp and all internal focus for the organization will be on the 2024 season and nothing else.

While the Jaguars have never set a firm public timeline on contract talks, Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke has made it a core franchise philosophy to not negotiate deals during the season. That comes later in the calendar, which is why Hines-Allen and Lawrence got paid this spring and summer and not during the 2023 season.

And if that philosophy applies to the two best and most important players on the Jaguars' roster, then it certainly applies to Campbell as well. And while the Jaguars have never said that the first day of camp is their cutoff for contract talks, it can be logically implied that this is the case. Once camp opens, the offseason is over. The season has begun.

So that leaves just a few days for the Jaguars and Campbell to reach a deal. And while these contract talks will be nowhere near as publicly enticing as Hines-Allen's were, it will be interesting to see what the Jaguars' approach with Campbell would be after the season is over.

If Campbell doesn't sign a new deal in time for the 2024 season, the most logical outcome would be for the Jaguars to franchise tag him after the season and then attempt to strike a deal. The Jaguars value Campbell enough to not let him test free agency, just like they valued Cam Robinson, Evan Engram and Hines-Allen too much when they tagged them.

The next couple of days will tell us whether Campbell strikes a new deal for 2024. It will likely not impact his long-term future, but it could give him a chance to cash-in in an even bigger way if he has a successful season.

Campbell, the No. 33 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, missed Weeks 7 and 8 last year due to the injury, eventually returning to the lineup in Week 10 after the bye week. Campbell then missed Weeks 11, 12, 14, and 15. And when Campbell was in the lineup, he was far from his 100% self.

After 25 pass breakups and five interceptions in his first two seasons, Campbell recorded one interception and five pass breakups in 11 games in 2023, the least productive year of his career.

Campbell's injury led to a test of the Jaguars' secondary depth, with the Jaguars' pass defense falling off a cliff over the second half of the season. But with the injury woes of 2023 now far behind him, Campbell is moving back into his role of No. 1 cornerback and entering the most important year of his career.

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