JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Doug Pederson and Trent Baalke hit the podium at the NFL scouting combine Tuesday, pushing the remnants of a frustrating season behind them and ready to get to work rebuilding the Jaguars.
The two Jaguars leaders kicked off the combine week with a number of areas to address and the clock ticking. Jacksonville has a new defensive coordinator (Ryan Nielsen), quite a few new faces on the coaching staff and a lot of questions to answer about a team that underachieved after winning the AFC South in 2022.
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While the buzz in the wake of one of the most disappointing finishes in franchise history centered around the struggles of the offense, the man calling the plays and if the Jaguars have the right quarterback, Pederson was quick to button that up.
The Jaguars are firm believers that Trevor Lawrence is the franchise player under center.
“We do have the right quarterback. I’m excited for the future with Trevor, he’s excited based on the conversations we’ve had since the season. I don’t get into the contract stuff, I leave that for Trent and the agents and stuff,” Pederson said. “I just know that our guy is the right guy, he’s got the right demeanor, he’s got the right leadership.
“It’s our job as coaches now to make sure he takes that next step. This will be another big offseason for him and his development and growth. By no means is he where he wants to be or where we want him to be, but really looking forward to working another year with Trevor.”
Lawrence is eligible for a massive contract extension this offseason, something that seemed like a foregone conclusion after he led them to the playoffs in Pederson’s first season. But so many things went wrong for Lawrence and the Jaguars in 2023 that a sure thing seems a little less likely this offseason.
One area that needs a massive improvement is the team’s offensive line. Pederson said continuity was a major problem, which it was. The projected five starters at midseason wound up playing just one game together, the Week 18 finale against Tennessee. That group still wasn’t good in that game but was downright bad at its low point. Lawrence was sacked a career-high 35 times and regressed after a big improvement in 2022.
“We didn’t have consistency; we didn’t have continuity. That affects five guys up front,” Pederson said. “That’s what we have to get back to, we have to get back to a little bit more consistency there but we can also help them as coaches and prepare them better. I know we will starting this offseason.”
The franchise and transition tag window opened last week and ends next week. That means the clock is ticking on getting something done with edge Josh Allen or receiver Calvin Ridley. Both are free agents and both would command significant contracts on the open market. The team can use one tag each season. Baalke said the Jaguars are still in the process of working on things with Allen. If he gets the franchise tag, Allen will make in the $24 million-a-year range. An extension would allow the Jaguars to spread some of a much larger deal out over a number of years.
“I don’t want to speculate on that. We’ve got a little over a week to work with here, we’ll work diligently with his agent to try to come to a resolution on this thing, so that’s where our focus is right now,” Baalke said.
The NFL salary cap took a significant jump last week, the combination of better-than-expected economics across the league in 2023. A Jacksonville team that appeared to be in less-than-ideal shape now has more room to maneuver. That could allow the team to get deals done with Allen and Ridley.
“We’re in good cap shape right now. We’re sitting pretty good, I think we’re in the middle to upper tier of the league in terms of cap space available,” Baalke said. “We’ve got moves that we can do to create more cap space. We like the position we’re in, we like the flexibility that we have. Again, we’re not going to disclose any of our thoughts right here, but we feel good with where we’re at.”
The season-long debate about offensive coordinator Press Taylor’s role with the team only amplified with the collapse. Baalke said that he supported whatever decision Pederson makes regarding Taylor’s role in the offense. Pederson called plays the bulk of his time in 2022, but gave Taylor that responsibility last year. The offense wasn’t the same, although both Pederson and Baalke said there were more issues than just play calling.
“Again, I think Press is growing as a play caller,” Baalke said. “There’s a natural maturation to that. I don’t get into the coaching side of things, I sat in with Coach on the interviews and stuff like that, but I have full confidence in Coach to make the right decisions for this football team. Whatever decision he makes, I support.”