JACKSONVILLE – The tampering has begun.
With the 2024 NFL League Year beginning Wednesday at 4 p.m., one of the busiest and highest-profile periods of the offseason began Monday at noon.
It's the NFL's "legal tampering" window, during which teams can negotiate with the agents of players projected to become unrestricted free agents in 2024. While teams can negotiate beginning Monday at noon, deals are not made official – and therefore cannot be announced by teams – until Wednesday at 4 p.m.
The Jaguars enter the week with 11 players projected to become unrestricted free agents: wide receiver Jamal Agnew, quarterback Matt Barkley, defensive lineman Angelo Blackson, outside linebacker K'Lavon Chaisson, cornerback Tre Herndon, running back D'Ernest Johnson, kicker Brandon McManus, inside linebacker Shaquille Quarterman, wide receiver Calvin Ridley, guard/center Tyler Shatley and defensive lineman Dawuane Smoot.
Three Jaguars players were scheduled to become projected restricted free agents: Offensive lineman Blake Hance, cornerback Chris Claybrooks and linebacker Caleb Johnson. Hance signed an extension that was announced Monday morning.
Four Jaguars players are scheduled to become exclusive rights free agents: Wide receiver Tim Jones, cornerback Gregory Junior, wide receiver Jaylon Moore and offensive lineman Cole Van Lanen.
The Jaguars last Tuesday placed the franchise tag on outside linebacker Josh Allen, preventing him from becoming an unrestricted free agent. If Allen signs the tag, he will play for the Jaguars on a one-year deal – or he and the team can agree to a long-term extension before July 15.
The team also last week announced they had re-signed three players before they became free agents: Defensive tackle Jeremiah Ledbetter, offensive guard Ezra Cleveland and safety Daniel Thomas.
The team also last week released three veterans – defensive lineman Foley Fatukasi, cornerback Darious Williams and safety Rayshawn Jenkins -- making them free agents who can sign with any other team.
Ridley caught 76 passes for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns in 2023, his first season with the Jaguars after being acquired in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons. Agnew has caught 61 receptions for 641 yards and five touchdowns with a kickoff return for a touchdown in three seasons with the Jaguars.
Smoot, a third-round selection by the Jaguars in the 2017 NFL Draft, has 23.5 sacks in seven seasons with the Jaguars. Chaisson, the No. 20 overall selection by the Jaguars in the 2020 NFL Draft, has five sacks in four seasons with the team.
Herndon has three interceptions and 32 passes defensed in six seasons with the Jaguars. Shatley, the most-tenured player on the Jaguars' roster, holds the franchise record with 140 consecutive games played and has started 51 of 145 career games played with the team.
McManus, who signed with the Jaguars as an unrestricted free agent in the 2023 offseason, converted 30 of 37 field goals and 35 of 35 extra points this past season. Johnson rushed for 108 yards on 41 carries in 2023 after signing as an unrestricted free agent last offseason.
Blackson played in 11 games with three fumble recoveries in his first season with the team last season, with Barkley joining the Jaguars for the final two regular-season games and not playing.
Quarterman played in 63 games as a reserve/special teams player after being selected by the Jaguars in Round 4 of the 2020 NFL Draft. Claybrooks, a seventh-round selection by the Jaguars in the 2020 NFL Draft, spent last season on the Commissioner Exempt List.
