Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Tim Patrick doesn’t want to be one-and-done after experiencing one of the more fulfilling years of his career.
During the team’s locker room clean-out session in January, Patrick was already talking as if he were ready to return, even though he understood he was set to hit free agency in March.
“What we were able to accomplish, it was big. I think it was something nobody really expected, except the people here. I think it’s great momentum going into next season, knowing that you can do it, and giving everybody another year of being in this system,” Patrick explained, noting that Jaguars head coach Liam Coen’s offensive system isn’t easy to learn.
“For us, you can see towards the end of the year, we really started clicking on all cylinders and now having an offseason, a p—-d off offseason, after going out the way we did, everybody should be able to hone in on the details of this offseason, have a sense of urgency knowing that we’re right there. We just have to fix some small things and be able to compete at the highest level.”
The Jaguars finished the season 13-4 and as AFC South champions, but they lost to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round, 27-24. A disappointing end to an otherwise stellar season.
Patrick was a key piece to the team’s run game as a blocker at wideout in addition to helping the team in the receiving game in at least a couple of crucial moments during the year.
Patrick finished with 15 catches for 187 yards and three touchdowns. He was acquired via trade with the Detroit Lions ahead of the regular season. Jacksonville sent a 2026 sixth-round pick in exchange for the veteran.
Tim Patrick gives his ‘why’ for wanting to return to Jaguars
Patrick has plenty of reasons to want to return to Jacksonville next season and beyond. At 33, Patrick’s career is likely winding down, but after spending multiple years on the injury report, this season was one of his healthiest yet, playing in 16 games in back-to-back years for the first time in his career.
Throughout the season, Jacksonville’s culture became paramount to their success. The selflessness the team played with was felt in the locker room. The Jaguars finished the year with three players who had at least 500 yards with the club, including receivers Parker Washington (847) and Brian Thomas Jr. (707) and tight end Brenton Strange (540).
Jakobi Meyers, who joined the team via trade nine games into the season, finished the year with 483 yards in nine games in Jacksonville.
“It’s one of those things where everybody wants to be the guy, but people understand that everybody has a role and plays in those roles, and then at the end of the day, Trevor [Lawrence] becoming one of the top QBs in the league really helped, too,” said Patrick.
“Just him playing with that confidence and him going out there, having full control of the offense, once he truly understood it. When you have a guy like that, you always have a chance to win.”
Lawrence finished the season as one of the best quarterbacks in the league, earning a nod as one of the finalists for the league’s Most Valuable Player award and Comeback Player of the Year. Lawrence posted over 4,000 yards passing and 38 total touchdowns in his fifth season in the league.
Continuing that relationship with Lawrence is something Patrick looks forward to if he re-signs with the team. But it goes beyond just the team’s QB.
“Obviously, it’s the coaching, the players, the city. It’s sunny 95% of the time. It makes it so much easier to go to work. And I’ve been in situations where after having a bad season, you have a winning season, usually that next season’s the standards are high, and you have to take full advantage of it,” Patrick said, comparing his time with the Detroit Lions and the Denver Broncos with how the Jaguars performed from 2024-25.
“I feel like that’s where we are now,” he added.
The Lions played in the NFC Championship game in 2024, while the Broncos played in the AFC Championship game this season. Perhaps Patrick can see it through. His words echo throughout the team’s facility, becoming something any player who wants to come back can get behind.
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @Demetrius82 or on Bluesky at Demetrius.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars’ Tim Patrick explains why he wants to return to Jacksonville
Reporting by Demetrius Harvey, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
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