JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jaguars have picked up the fifth-year option on edge rusher Josh Allen.
Picking up Allen’s fifth-year option means that his salary for 2023 — projected to be $11.5 million according to OverTheCap.com — becomes fully guaranteed. Only first-round picks are eligible for fifth-year options.
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The deadline for teams to pick up the fifth-year option is Monday.
Allen’s best season in Jacksonville was his rookie year in 2019. He played in all 16 games and had a career-best 10.5 sacks and forced two fumbles.
Allen made the Pro Bowl that season. A knee injury in 2020 limited him to eight games in an all-around miserable season for the franchise. The Jaguars went 1-15 and earned the No. 1 pick in the draft for the first time.
Allen had a bounceback 2021 season, including the best single-game performance of his career in a 9-6 win over the Bills. Allen had eight tackles, a sack, an interception and a fumble recovery.
Allen was the seventh overall pick in the 2019 draft out of Kentucky. The next decision on a fifth-year option will come next spring with linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson, Jacksonville’s second No. 1 selection from the 2020 draft. Chaisson has had an underwhelming start to his NFL career, although not as much as its other first-round pick from that draft, CJ Henderson.
He was dealt to the Panthers after one season.
Among other recent first-round picks of the Jaguars in recent history, the team has had a poor track record in keeping those top picks around.
Luke Joeckel (2013), Dante Fowler (2015) and Taven Bryan (2018) had their fifth-year options declined.
Leonard Fournette (2017) was released before his fourth year began. Jacksonville picked up Jalen Ramsey’s fifth-year option (2016) but he was traded.
Blake Bortles (2014) had his option picked up and later signed a contract extension following the team’s surprising run to the AFC title game in 2017.