When the 2021 NFL season ended, the Jacksonville Jaguars had the worst record in the league and their fans were wearing clown costumes to protest the employment of the team’s general manager.
A year later, players around the league are asking to be a part of the Jaguars. At least that’s what the team’s 23-year-old quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, said during a radio appearance Friday.
“I’ve had a few conversations,” Lawrence said on ESPN 690’s Brent & Friends. “I’ll keep them confidential, but just guys that are seeing what we’re doing and — not all of them necessarily want to come there and leave everything and come to Jacksonville — but even just to stop me and say, ‘Hey man, what you guys are doing is special.’ They can see it just from the outside. And then there are a couple guys like I mentioned, ‘Try to get a spot for me over there.’ So it’s been cool to see everyone excited about what we’re doing.”
Last offseason, the Jaguars paid huge money to get several free agents to come on board. Those additions — which included Christian Kirk, Brandon Scherff, Evan Engram, and Foye Oluokun — played a huge role in a historic turnaround, as Jacksonville became the first team to ever win a playoff game a year after finishing with the league’s worst record.
The Jaguars won’t have the same amount of cash to toss around during the 2023 offseason. The team is currently well over the salary cap, and while it won’t be impossible to clear space, it also has a few players like Engram, Jawaan Taylor, and Arden Key that it likely hopes to retain.
If players do want to come to Jacksonville, they’d likely have to do so at a discounted rate. For the first time in a very long time, there’s reason to believe players around the NFL might actually be willing to do exactly that.
