JACKSONVILLE – These are good times for Josh Allen.
That doesn't mean the 2023 regular season is over. That doesn't mean he doesn't have more goals to achieve – as a team and individually. But he does have an appreciation for this season and this circumstance.
"I'm honored and blessed to be in this position," Allen said.
Allen, the Jaguars' starting outside linebacker who is on pace to set a franchise single-season record for sacks, joined this week's Week 14 O-Zone Podcast. He discussed multiple topics, including his pursuit of that single-season sacks record.
Allen currently has a career-high 13.5 sacks, one shy of the record of 14.5 sacks set by Calais Campbell in 2017.
"It's a legacy," Allen said. "I want to leave a legacy wherever I go. I have a great opportunity to do things that haven't been done here in a long time. That's going out there playing for one another and having fun. Every moment that I have wasn't because of me. It's a collection of all 11 guys working hand in hand."
Allen also laughed when discussing the notion that he is having his best year because he's in the final season of the rookie contract.
"You hear people say, 'They're doing good because it's a contract year,''' Allen said. "For me, I don't feed into that notion. For me, I'm figuring it out. I've worked hard to figure things out. For me, I've found a way that works. I found out my process. If I could have done it last year, I would have done it.
"I'm at a time that I found out what works. I'm going to continue that recipe for success and I'm going to continue to grow."
Allen, the No. 7 overall selection in the 2019 NFL Draft, made the Pro Bowl as a rookie for a Jaguars team that finished 6-10. The Jaguars went 1-15 the following season and 3-14 in 2021 before winning their final five regular-season games last season to win their first AFC South title in five seasons.
They are 8-4 this season in first place in the AFC South, having won 16 of 23 games dating to last season.
"It's huge," Allen said. "I want to leave a legacy. I want to be a part of something. I want to be a part of a team that's done something no team has done here. I want to be part of history. I've done it in high school. I've done it in college. I want to continue to do it in the pros.
"We have to continue to have that mindset. We're playing for something much bigger and we have a great opportunity."
Allen added, "At the end of the day, it's all about getting to the playoffs. Then it's all about going to the Super Bowl. We're still in a great position to do both of those things. For us, it's about continuing to put your head down and go to work."
Listen to the entire O-Zone Podcast with Allen below. Click HERE to view more episodes of the O-Zone Podcast.
