Jaguars edge rusher Josh Allen played out the final year of his rookie contract in 2023 and posted a career-high 17.5 sacks on his way to landing the long-term contract in Jacksonville he was looking for at the start of the offseason.
On Monday, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said that “the challenge” for a player coming off a big season is whether he can do it again and there are plenty of examples of players who couldn’t sustain a high level of play after breaking out in a contract year. There are also plenty of examples of players who maintained their success into the future.
Allen, who reported to mandatory minicamp after working out on his own the rest of the offseason, vowed that he will be in the latter category.
“For me, this year, it’s very personal,” Allen said, via the team’s website. “Last year, I figured out what works for me. So for me, it’s, ‘OK. I’m glad it was at the time where I needed to figure it out, to benefit off of it.’ Now for me, it’s like, ‘You did it because of that.’ No and I’ll show you why. I found out what works for me. I’m going to double up, get better from there and improve mentally, physically and emotionally – and now I can go from there. For right now, I’m more mentally strong at this point of the season. It’s just going to keep building from here.”
Allen said his goals for the coming season include winning defensive player of the year and the Super Bowl. Either outcome would make the new contract look like a wise move and pulling off the former would only help the Jags’ chances at the latter.
