NFL teams have until 4 p.m. ET on Monday to sign their franchise-tagged players to a long-term deal, and the Jacksonville Jaguars were able to reach an agreement with tight end Evan Engram prior to the deadline.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Jaguars and Engram agreed to a three-year contract on Sunday that could pay Engram $41 million over the duration of the contract. That deal includes more than $24 million in guarantees.
Engram is coming off a career year with the Jaguars—his first year with the team—that saw him haul in 73 passes for 766 yards and four touchdowns. He figures to be a key part of a Jaguars offense that has sky-high expectations entering the 2023 season.
With Engram signed, that means there are just three franchise-tagged players still seeking a long-term deal before Monday, and they are all running backs.
That list includes Dallas’ Tony Pollard (who has already signed his franchise tender), Las Vegas’ Josh Jacobs and the New York Giants’ Saquon Barkley.
With Pollard having already signed his tender he could play out the season on that contract before becoming a free agent again after the 2023 season. So while the Cowboys might like to get a deal done, it is not imperative for this season.
The Jacobs and Barkley situations are far more problematic for the teams.
Neither player is happy with the current state of the negotiations as they are looking to get what they believe to be fair value, while also helping to restructure the market for running backs. The running back position has become brutal for players in recent years as teams are hesitant to pay top dollar for a position that is deemed to have a short shelf life and be very team dependent.
Without long-term deals signed by Monday, there is a very real possibility that Jacobs and Barkley are not present with the Raiders and Giants for the start of training camp or perhaps even the regular season.
After Monday they will have to play out the 2023 season on their franchise salary of $8.4 million.
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