National Football League

Evan Engram extension a win for QB Trevor Lawrence, rising Jaguars

Published Jul. 17, 2023 10:22 a.m. ET

The image Evan Engram posted on Twitter Sunday featured him with his arms outstretched, walking toward the celebrating fans in the stands at TIAA Bank Field following the Jaguars' stunning divisional-round playoff victory over the Chargers, the third-largest comeback in NFL postseason history.

It was a fitting picture to celebrate the news of his three-year extension with Jacksonville, which is worth $41.25 million and includes $24 million fully guaranteed, a source confirmed to FOX Sports.

"I'm home," Engram tweeted, with the prayer emoji.

The extension, which beat Monday's deadline for long-term deals for franchise-tagged players, is a win for both sides.

Engrams gets properly compensated after a breakout season, when he recorded career-highs in receptions (73), receiving yards (766) and catch rate (74.5%). His new deal ranks sixth among tight ends in average annual value and ninth in total value, according to SpoTrac. He had played last season on a one-year, prove-it deal.

From the Jaguars vantage point, they lock in one of their best players for the foreseeable future, one who played an integral role in the franchise's cultural turnaround and Trevor Lawrence's development.

According to Pro Football Focus, Engram was most productive last season catching passes within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage between the numbers (31 receptions on 39 targets for 324 yards — including 255 after the catch — and a touchdown) and outside right (14 receptions on 17 targets for 115 yards, including 65 after the catch).

Those two zones represented two of the three parts of the field where Lawrence had a better-than-average passer rating, per Next Gen Stats — 103.6 between the numbers with 10 yards from the line of scrimmage (90.0 was league average) and 114.9 on the outside right within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage (league average was 87.8). Engram was literally Lawrence's security blanket.

On the macro level, Engram's deal is further proof of the Jaguars' commitment to winning now, to competing at the highest levels of the AFC in 2023 and beyond.

This time for Jacksonville, one of the most exciting moments in franchise history, is a window of massive opportunity with Lawrence on his rookie deal. His cap hit is just over $10 million next year. It reaches $11.7 million in 2024. Even considering the likely extension (or fifth-year option for 2025) beyond that, Lawrence's cap hits are team-friendly over the next few years at least. It gives the team the leeway to absorb pricey veteran contracts, like Engram's.

Continuity is also important for a young quarterback, and Engram's deal gives Lawrence a semblance of that with his pass-catchers beyond 2023.

Christian Kirk is under contract for the next three seasons, Zay Jones the next two. And Calvin Ridley, who's playing on the fifth-year option for 2023 after a suspension last season, has a good chance to earn a multi-year extension if he plays as anticipated. That's a pass-catching core that should rank among the league's best over the next couple years, helping Lawrence to develop further.

After the Jaguars' season-ending loss to the Chiefs in the divisional round in January, Engram got emotional discussing what Jacksonville had meant to him after an up-and-down start to his career with the Giants.

He talked about wanting to stay when so many players in the past have just wanted to leave.

"God showed up big time in my life this year," Engram said. "I don't think it happens anywhere else."

Now, it doesn't have to.

Ben Arthur is the AFC South reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.

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