Jacksonville Jaguars extend breakout tight end Evan Engram
The Jacksonville Jaguars have signed tight end Evan Engram to a three-year contract extension after a breakout year during the 2022 season. This is a great move for both sides and I bet this is precisely the ending that each party wanted.
The #Jaguars and standout TE Evan Engram agree to terms on a 3-year, $41.25M deal that includes $24M guaranteed, per me and @TomPelissero.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 16, 2023
Essentially, a 2 year extension with the tag for $14.953M per year. After a career year, Engram gets paid. pic.twitter.com/G7vymD4O4U
We also know the terms of the deal, and Evan Engram is now among the highest paid tight ends in the NFL. The three-year deal comes with $24 million in guarantees and looks to be worth as much as $41.25 million. Engram, 29 in September, was a first round pick of the new York Giants back in 2017 and had a nice rookie season, catching 64 passes for 722 yards and six touchdowns.
However, while he has been a solidly productive tight end over his career, he has struggled with actually catching the ball sometimes. His catch rate has been lower than 60% two times during his career, but Engram seemed to fix that in 2022.
Catching passes from Trevor Lawrence, Engram managed 73 receptions for 766 yards and four touchdowns, with a very nice catch percentage of 74.5%. Objectively speaking, Evan Engram was a marvelously reliable target for a young Trevor Lawrence.
The Jacksonville Jaguars enjoyed a ton of success in 2022 with Doug Pederson as the head coach. The team was 10th in offensive scoring and 12th in points allowed on defense. They won a playoff game and gave the Kansas City Chiefs a tough fight in the divisional round.
The Jacksonville Jaguars, to me, are a team that is going to take another huge step forward in 2023. In fact, I think they flirt with about 12 wins, earn the third seed in the AFC playoffs, and go all the way to the AFC Championship Game.
Remember, in Doug Pederson’s second year as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, he guided them to a Super Bowl victory. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Jags make a run of their own.
Now, Lawrence not only has his franchise tight end back, but he’ll also get to throw passes to Calvin Ridley, who is back from a one-year gambling suspension. Ridley is another very productive pass catcher, and the trio of Ridley, Zay Jones, and Evan Engram figures to make Lawrence’s life much easier.