Jaguars’ Evan Engram has best contract value among veteran tight ends

ESPN’s Dan Graziano makes the case for Evan Engram as one of the most valuable vets in the NFL.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have built a championship-contending roster, with a lot of help from recent free agency classes. One of the players brought into the building from another NFL franchise is tight end Evan Engram, who spent the first five years of his career in New York.

The former first-round pick left the Giants in 2022 and signed a one-year, $9 million contract with the Jaguars. After setting career-highs in catches (73) and yards (766) in his and Doug Pederson’s first season in Jacksonville, Engram agreed to a three-year, $41 million extension in July.

The Jaguars have already seen that re-investment pay off. Though Engram has yet to cross the pylon this year, his 36 catches through six games are tied for first at his position and tied for 11th among all players.

ESPN’s Dan Graziano named Engram’s contract as the best value among all veteran tight ends.

This was a tough one, because the high-end vets at this position (Travis Kelce, George Kittle, Mark Andrews, etc.) are also the highest-paid ones. And I didn’t want to use Taysom Hill because … well, I’m sort of perpetually confused about how to characterize him or assign him a position.

Engram got a three-year, $41.25 million deal from the Jags this summer after getting the franchise tag in the spring, and out of the gate he is proving to be a trusted target for Trevor Lawrence. He already has 301 receiving yards on the season. Engram is signed through 2025, so any extension talk likely waits until after the 2024 season because he just got paid.

Engram has reportedly been one of the hardest-working players in Jacksonville’s locker room since his arrival 18 months ago. That effort is also demonstrated on the football field, where his yards-after-catch ability is spurned by fiery competitiveness.

As I mentioned on the latest Jaguar Report podcast, Engram’s one-handed catch from last week might’ve been the single-best snag by a Jacksonville player since Keelan Cole in 2018.

We see you, 17.