The Jacksonville Jaguars have signed Travon Walker and Ross Matiscik to contract extensions this offseason, both of which were clearly necessary. Walker and Matiscik are key parts of their respective units, and general manager James Gladstone was smart to keep them in Jacksonville.
However, there are still other key players who need contract extensions. Writing for ESPN, Aaron Schatz named one final offseason move for each team to make, and for the Jaguars, it was to extend wide receiver Parker Washington.
“Washington had a breakout performance in his third season, catching 58 passes for 847 yards and five touchdowns. His 11.1% DVOA ranked 21st among qualifying receivers. However, he becomes a free agent after this season,” he wrote. “Washington is going to be very important to the Jacksonville offense, especially if Travis Hunter is going to be concentrating more on playing defense this season. The Jaguars might want to get him locked in for the next few seasons before he gets a chance to repeat last year’s big numbers.”
If you include the postseason, Washington’s performance was even stronger; he ended the year with 954 receiving yards, and surpassed the 100-yard mark in three of the Jaguars’ final four games.
It’s previously been reported by ESPN’s Michael DiRocco that the Jaguars have had “preliminary” discussions with Washington earlier this offseason, indicating they are hoping to prevent him from becoming a free agent in 2027. Gladstone said at the time that they are “probably within striking distance to see things come to light,” referencing Walker, Washington, and Brenton Strange.
However, it’s not clear what the status of those talks is, but the sooner a deal gets done, the better. Another big season from Washington could mean an even bigger paycheck.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: ESPN identifies one more offseason move Jaguars should make
Reporting by Casandra Chesser, Jaguars Wire / Jaguars Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Casandra Chesser, Jaguars Wire | USA TODAY Network
