Report: Jaguars place franchise tag on Josh Allen

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Jaguars will be tagging Josh Allen, leaving the door open for Calvin Ridley to hit free agency.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Tuesday afternoon that the Jacksonville Jaguars will be using its franchise tag on outside linebacker Josh Allen. He’s set to earn $24 million in 2024.

Allen is unlikely to sign the deal, at least not anytime soon. But by designating Allen before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. tag deadline, the Jaguars buy themselves some time to continue working with its star pass rusher on a contract extension. Allen will not be reaching free agency this year and the team has until July 15 to get a new deal done.

Anybody who’s been following Allen’s contract saga shouldn’t be surprised by this development. Jacksonville had always planned to use the tag as a placeholder until an extension was finalized, just like with Evan Engram last year and Cam Robinson the year before him.

However, it would have been nice to see Allen and the Jaguars reach an agreement before the tag deadline. Mostly because the player deserves it, but also because it would’ve allowed Jacksonville to use its tag on wide receiver Calvin Ridley.

The team is uninterested in inking Ridley to a new contract before the new league year begins on March 13, as that would force Jacksonville to send second-round compensation to the Atlanta Falcons instead of the currently-owed third-rounder.

If the tag were available, the Jaguars could’ve used it on Ridley to ensure he didn’t reach free agency. Instead, since Jacksonville made sure to not let Allen out of the building but couldn’t come to terms with him on an extension, Ridley will be able to talk to all 32 teams about a potential new contract when free agency’s legal tampering begins on March 11.

That’s significant because Ridley is easily the best receiver set to hit free agency this year. Jacksonville likely has a predetermined contract ready to offer him in two weeks, but there’s a risk that another team could outbid the Jaguars for Ridley’s services.

On Monday, about three hours after the team’s social media account wished him a happy 29th birthday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that the Jaguars will be releasing defensive tackle Foley Fatukasi. On Tuesday, Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz reported that Jacksonville plans to also release cornerback Darious Williams and safety Rayshawn Jenkins. Those three combined moves will save the team about $20 million in 2024 cap space, per Over The Cap.

I thought it might’ve been a sign that the team was moving money around for an Allen extension. Alas.