The 2022 franchise tag window has officially opened.
The Jacksonville Jaguars were being a surprise franchise tag candidate past offseason, positioning the a single-calendar year tag on veteran left deal with and former 2nd-spherical pick Cam Robinson. But could they use the tag for the next yr in a row as they keep on to have in-property expertise set to strike cost-free company without having any contracts in tow?
That is the query facing the Jaguars until finally the franchise tag window closes on March 8. Right until then, the Jaguars will have to assessment their wide listing of totally free agents — which is made up of primarily offensive players and a quantity of 7 days 1 starters — and identify if the tag is the right option shifting forward.
The players who are amid individuals totally free brokers in conditions of precedence are crystal clear: Robinson, who is set to be a cost-free agent following his 1-12 months tag, and extensive receiver DJ Chark, whose rookie offer ran through the 2021 year.
The Jaguars have other free of charge agents this kind of as guards Andrew Norwell and A.J. Cann and defensive lineman Adam Gotsis, but Robinson and Chark are evidently the top canine. Each individual would likely garner the most interest out of any Jaguars no cost agent set to hit the sector, with Robinson acquiring four several years of setting up working experience at still left tackle and Chark hitting the 1,000-property mark on his way to a Professional Bowl in 2019.
As this sort of, the only gamers who make perception for the Jaguars to contemplate working with the tag on are Chark and Robinson. But ought to Jacksonville general supervisor Trent Baalke and head mentor Doug Pederson make the daring go to put the tag on both?
In the second of two content, we choose a dive to identify if they need to. Just after seeking at Robinson’s circumstance initially, we acquire a glance at Chark’s upcoming.
Chark has tested to be a single of the Jaguars’ top playmakers because 2019 and even flashed significant playmaking means in his rookie campaign in 2018. For a crew that needs more playmakers and total more pace on offense, it appears like losing Chark to no cost agency would be counter-effective. But that won’t adjust the simple fact that timing performs a serious element in Chark’s cost-free agency.
Basically set, in most situations you do not see a wholly new staff members re-indication absolutely free brokers to who they do not have any history with. With that said, this deserves to be looked at from a case-by-scenario foundation. For Chark to develop into a no cost agent the similar 12 months the Jaguars have overhauled their whole coaching workers is not perfect.
The coaching workers that developed Chark into a Pro Bowler in 2019 is extensive gone and the staff members that expended all of very last offseason and regular year with is also long gone, with Urban Meyer replaced by Doug Pederson, Darrell Bevell replaced by Press Taylor and Sanjay Lal changed by Chris Jackson.
Chark has proven his immense physical abilities in excess of and more than during his Jaguars tenure, but the last two seasons have also been marred by injuries and inconsistencies. Chark didn’t have very good quarterback play in 2020 as his yards for each concentrate on and for every-video game quantities fell off from 2019.
Then in 2021, Chark caught just 7 passes in four appearances that definitely amounted to just 3 comprehensive game titles. With that claimed, these went for 154 yards (22. yards per capture) and two touchdowns as he was peppered with 22 targets. Then an ankle personal injury in the fourth sport of the season ended Chark’s final rookie deal offer.
In short, Chark is a proficient participant with a ton of likely but with damage considerations and constrained generation on a calendar year-to-calendar year foundation. With OverTheCap projecting for a vast receiver franchise tag to value $19,127,000, that is a challenging pill to swallow in phrases of problem meeting value.
Chark is a gifted player, but this is a staff with no previous loyalty to him and a front office that wasn’t rushing to re-signal him in advance of he was hurt last year. It doesn’t make much sense for the Jaguars to fork out him nearly $20 million if they have not shown that type of earlier belief in him, even if he is a proficient participant who is more precious to preserve than to let depart.
The Jaguars really should operate tough to hold Chark in some fashion, but a franchise tag appears like a last-ditch effort that appears greater in principle than in actuality. While the Jaguars really don’t have any scarcity of income cap area, there are still superior makes use of with a deep receiver team in cost-free company and the draft.
The Jaguars would be clever to continue to keep Chark on a numerous-calendar year agreement. Professional Soccer Emphasis jobs him with a 3-12 months, $40 million ($13.33M for each yr, $22.5 million full certain) agreement and that would seem like a improved total gamble for each sides than a a person-year audition for virtually the same price all round.