The Jacksonville Jaguars started the day on the right foot as they announced that nose tackle Marcell Dareus would be returning to the team this offseason after restructuring his deal. However, the biggest takeaway from his return was the fact that he was the driving force behind it. According to Jags general manager Dave Caldwell, Dareus approached them about restructuring because he’s enjoyed the time he spent in Jacksonville.
Dareus, 28, was brought on to the Jags’ roster in October of 2017 via a trade with the Buffalo Bills which sent the Bills a sixth-round selection. Since joining the team, Dareus has arguably been the Jags’ most consistent defensive lineman not named Calais Campbell, and has especially given them elite play against the rush. This was something Jags coach Doug Marrone discussed Wednesday when he took the podium at the combine and added that he believes that Dareus is just scratching the surface with the team.
Dareus’ restructured deal freed up $5 million in cap space for the Jags as the organization decreased his 2019 base salary of $8.335 million to $2.835 million. The restructured deal also shortened the entirety of his contract by removing a year from it and replaced his $2 million bonus that was due by March 15.
During his season and a half tenure in Jacksonville, Dareus has played in 24 games and started in 16, while accumulating 52 tackles, two sacks and three tackles for loss. He also was able to finish his first season with the Jags with a Pro Football Focus grade of 79.7 and 80.9 last year.
