After the Jaguars beat the Texans in late November, Jacksonville pass rusher Josh Allen talked to PFT about his performance that day. I asked him, among other things, whether he wants a new contract, given that he was playing under his fifth-year option.
“Of course I want to get one,” Allen said. He also made it clear he wants it from the Jaguars, not from someone else. He said there had been no talks toward signing one.
“That’s up to the high man,” Allen said. “i just come in and play for my people.”
One of the high men in the organization spoke to reporters on Thursday about Allen. G.M. Trent Baalke said that the seventh pick in the 2019 draft “will be a Jaguar.” Baalke admitted, however, that there have been no talks on a long-term deal.
That remark didn’t sit well with Allen and his representatives. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Allen’s camp is not happy that Baalke would take time to talk to the media about Allen before taking time to Allen or his agent about Allen. Allen’s camp has been ready, willing, and waiting to engage in negotiations.
The lack of engagement at this stage of the calendar points to a franchise tag for Allen, not a multi-year deal. A Pro Bowler in 2023, Allen set the single-season franchise record with 17.5 sacks. He has 45 in his career, which puts him in second place in all-time team history, behind Tony Brackens with 55.
The 2011 rookie wage scale was aimed at keeping top draft picks who don’t pan out from removing millions from the system. It also has given teams the ability to squat on great players, delaying for years the financial reward they have earned. Allen has been waiting five years.
It’s unfortunate for the Jaguars, who ultimately bungled the relationship with high-end defensive players like Jalen Ramsey and Yannick Ngakoue, both of whom were traded. Given that Allen’s agent has engineered trades for high-end defensive players like Khalil Mack and DeForest Buckner, the combination could be more explosive than nitroglycerine, the weapon of choice for many an old-school cartoon villain.
From Allen’s perspective, Baalke is currently playing the role of Dick Dastardly. The only way to change that is for Baalke to talk not to the media about Allen, but to Allen about Allen.
