A new hope in Jacksonville

Here we are, firmly into the offseason in Jaguars country and for many, we had a surprisingly good first year under coach Doug Pederson.  

Following Trevor Lawrence’s official rookie season a wash of sorts because of the mess created by Urban Meyer during his tenure, it was a breath of fresh air to see what this team can really do.  

As a Jaguars fan, we certainly had some ups and downs marked by a long losing streak in the beginning/middle of the season. But, particularly in the second half of the season, the Jags were able to turn it around in time to win the division and make the playoffs. After a terrible start in the Super Wild Card round pulled out a thriller against a Los Angeles Chargers team that did not seem to know what hit them after storming out to a 27-0 lead. 

Trevor Lawrence led his team to a huge victory and possibly one of the biggest in the team’s history.  The following week, we certainly held our own against the eventual Super Bowl champs, the Kansas City Chiefs but eventually fell short of pulling out the upset.  

While we would love to see our Jaguars win the Super Bowl (even multiple Super Bowl’s), it was a great and unexpected sight to see from these guys, so quickly after many were added to the team via draft or free agency. It means that Jacksonville are in a better place than we thought this time last year, and the excitement for the upcoming 2023 season is already palpable. 

What to expect in the offseason

The addition of Calvin Ridley to this already solid receiving room, after his reinstatement by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, is a huge boost to this Jacksonville offense.  Priority number one should be to find a way to keep tight end Evan Engram around for a while, as he was a huge part of our team’s success this past year and could be moving forward as well.

Looking at shedding the contract for Shaq Griffin who just has not worked out for us would likely be another good idea to help with cap space and making a run at some intriguing free agent targets.  The future of pass rusher Josh Allen is also up in the air, with the player set to play on the $10.892 million fifth-year option of his rookie contract in 2023.

It’s tough for the Jaguars to feel good about a long-term extension for a player who, ultimately, has under-achieved in recent years, and he could be offloaded in a trade for solid draft capital.

All in all, Jacksonville go into the 2023 offseason with nothing to fear, and can only get better. They have the confidence, motivation and ability to become a real force in the AFC.

What an exciting time to be a Jaguars fan! Duuuuuval!