With Trevor Lawrence almost certainly coming to town, the Jacksonville Jaguars need to think very hard about how they plan to build an offense of weapons around him. Free-agent receiver targets like Curtis Samuel and Allen Robinson (or tight ends Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith) are potential options, but Jacksonville also has receivers with an expiring contract already on the team.
Keelan Cole, who is among the group with expiring contracts, hasn’t been able to replicate the success from his rookie season in 2017. After notching 748 yards and three touchdowns during the Jaguars’ AFC Championship run, he didn’t reach 500 yards the following two seasons. He improved in 2020, scoring a career-high five touchdowns to go with 642 yards. But he also had a career-high in catches while his yards per catch were the lowest of his career.
In a list from Bleacher Report of one free agent each NFL team shouldn’t retain, Cole was listed for the Jaguars, and it’s easy to understand why.
The Jags can afford to part with Keelan Cole during free agency. The wideout has been dependable, if unspectacular, in four NFL seasons. An undrafted free agent out of Kentucky Wesleyan, Cole caught the most passes (55) and scored the most touchdowns (5) of his career in 2020, just in time to hit the open market.
While there may be mutual interest from the team and player to keep working together, other organizations will be hungrier than Jacksonville to acquire receiving depth. If Cole is offered upward of $7 million per season to be a No. 2 receiver in an offense with a more stable quarterback situation, the Jaguars would be wise to let him walk and prioritize more pressing positions of need with their free-agency moves.
Though the Jaguars could afford Cole, he may want a deal bigger than the value of his production over the last few seasons. Given the amount of cap space Jacksonville has and the multitude of options at receiver in this free-agent class, it’s looking like Cole isn’t getting a new deal with the Jags this offseason.
