Josh

Hines-Allen

Hines-Allen didn’t make the trip to Indy for personal reasons and will miss a mostly meaningless Week 18 affair with the Colts. Both teams are out of the playoff hunt after the Colts’ Week 17 loss. Hines-Allen’s season comes to a close with eight sacks and 10 TFLs.

Hines-Allen left Week 4 with a concussion and did not return. He missed Wednesday’s practice but got in a pair of limited sessions on Thursday and Friday. JHA still has to clear the league’s concussion protocol over the weekend, but the questionable tag at least gives him a shot at doing so. He has one sack and one TFL through four games this year. The Jags also listed safety Darnell Savage and linebacker Devin Lloyd as questionable.

He appears unlikely to return after originally leaving early in the third quarter. Jacksonville’s best pass rusher had three tackles and a quarterback hit before leaving.

Jacksonville had used the franchise tag on Allen before the start of free agency while the two sides hammered out a long-term deal. Allen’s extension will reportedly include $88 million in guarantees — an enormous payday for the standout pass rusher. Pro Football Focus in 2023 graded Allen as the league’s 11th best EDGE. He was fourth in quarterback hits and eighth in QB pressures last season. Allen notched a career high 17.5 sacks in 2023. He’ll continue to anchor the Jacksonville defensive line for years to come.

According to Rapoport, the Jaguars have “expressed confidence in getting a long-term deal” done with the star pass rusher. Allen totaled a career-high 17.5 sacks last season, which tied for second-most in the league behind Pittsburg’s T.J. Watt. Now set to enter his sixth year in the league, Allen will earn a guaranteed $24 million in 2024 if he winds up playing on the tag, but it sounds like the two sides could come to an agreement on a new deal later this offseason.

Allen is set to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason and is fresh off a 17.5 sack season. Baalke said the Jaguars have yet to begin negotiations with Allen, but the franchise tag also remains a possibility for the former No. 7 overall pick. In 74 career games with the Jaguars, Allen has totaled 45 sacks, 53 TFLs, and nine forced fumbles. The two-time Pro Bowler is due a big payday in the very near future and will be among the highest-paid EDGE rushers in the league when all is said and done.

After sustaining a shoulder injury against the Chiefs in Week 2, Allen was limited at practice this week and looked iffy for the team’s matchup against Houston. Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said Allen will play. Through Week 2, the Jaguars have the league’s fourth worst pass rush, per Pro Football Focus.

In the midst of another losing season, the Jags could be looking to move veterans for future draft picks. They have already sent James Robinson packing to New York for a Day 3 pick. Allen is about to enter the final year of his rookie deal, meaning an extension is likely coming his way. Jacksonville could acquire more picks and let someone else pay Allen by trading him, though that looks unlikely at this point. The rising pass-rusher has three sacks and a pair of forced fumbles this year.

The “other” Josh Allen has 20.5 sacks through three seasons after being taken with the No. 7 overall selection of the 2019 Draft. He is coming off his strongest overall campaign. Allen is a rare unambiguously good first-round pick from the Jags even if he is not quite yet a true star. Still only 25 in July, Allen is headed into his prime.

The team also activated Josh Allen, Myles Jack, Luke Farrell, Jordan Smith, and Damien Wilson from the COVID-19 list following an outbreak early this week. With at least seven targets in three of his past four games, Shenault offers something of a fantasy floor in Week 17 against the Patriots. He would only be viable as a flex in 14-team leagues though.