Jacksonville Jaguars outside linebacker Josh Allen is on a one-way track to a massive payday, one way or another.
After racking up nine sacks in the first eight games of the season, the 25-year-old pass rusher is set to become a free agent in 2024. There’s only three ways things can get resolved in the next four months:
- Allen signs a massive extension with the Jaguars.
- The Jaguars allow Allen to reach free agency where he’d potentially be the biggest prize on the market.
- Allen receives the always pricy franchise tag.
Regardless of how the situation plays out, Allen is in line to follow in the footsteps of the Chicago Bears’ Montez Sweat and Green Bay Packers’ Rashan Gary, who both signed contracts last week that average more than $24 million per season.
“Of course,” Allen said Wednesday when asked if he keeps an eye on the deals other pass rushers have recently received. “You always want to see where the market is at, especially at my position. Obviously, I see where those guys get paid and say ‘OK, that’s nice.'”
But Allen also made it clear that his focus is on his play and a season that could be special for both him and the Jaguars.
“For what I want to do this year, for what I want to achieve … don’t settle,” Allen said. “If I continue to find ways to be successful, then things might come. But obviously I’ve got goals and aspirations that I want to achieve this year — hell, I want to win a Super Bowl.
“If I can continue to play at a high level — motivate, elevate everybody else around us to get to that point, let’s do it.”
Allen compares favorably to Sweat and Gary, who both trail him in sacks and pressures this year.
Pre-Week 9 stats because those aren't up yet, but Josh Allen's 2023 season vs. Rashan Gary and Montez Sweat, who each got massive pay-days pic.twitter.com/vF759LvT9J
— John Shipley (@_John_Shipley) November 6, 2023
Through four and a half seasons, Allen has 36.5 sacks, third most in franchise history and only one behind Yannick Ngakoue for second.
