Evan Engram is poised to be the top free-agent tight end this offseason. After his best season yet in his first year with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Engram hopes to remain in Duval County with a long-term contract.
In an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio on Monday, Engram expressed optimism that the feeling is mutual. He said, "The conversations we've had are very positive, he (agent Mike McCartney) has a great relationship with the Jags, so hopefully something gets done and I think it's mutual." Engram also highlighted that he is a pass-catching tight end, as opposed to a blocker, which is a significant factor in determining salary.
Engram signed a one-year, $9 million deal with Jacksonville last season, which proved to be a wise investment. Engram demonstrated his ability to be a playmaker under coach Doug Pederson and with a top-tier quarterback in Trevor Lawrence. The 28-year-old set career highs with 73 catches for 766 yards and added four touchdowns in 2022. While he still had some occasional drops, Engram improved his catch percentage to 74.5%, up from his five-year average of 61.1% with the New York Giants.
Engram was a crucial piece of the Jags' playoff-bound offense. In the final seven games, including playoffs, he averaged 6.1 catches, 72 receiving yards, and 11.7 yards per catch and scored three touchdowns. He even led Jacksonville in the wild-card win over the Los Angeles Chargers with seven catches for 93 yards and a touchdown.
Earlier this offseason, Jags general manager Trent Baalke expressed his desire to re-sign Engram. With both sides hoping for a long-term deal, it shouldn't be difficult to come to an agreement. However, if negotiations get complicated, Jacksonville could use the franchise tag on Engram to guarantee at least one more season. The tight end tag costs about $11.3 million in 2023, so it's a feasible option. Last year, several tight ends, especially pass-catching ones like Dalton Schultz, David Njoku, and Mike Gesicki, were tagged to prevent them from becoming free agents.
Engram is unconcerned about the possibility of being tagged. "It's hypothetical, so it could happen, it could not," he said. "If that happens, I think that would be a place-holder to get something done. That's just the way I feel about it. If it does come to that, there will be conversations I have with my team, and we'll move forward from there. If that does happen, I'm going to be blessed either way. We'll figure something out long-term that both sides will be happy with."
The Jaguars' receiving corps made significant progress in 2022, and adding Calvin Ridley (pending reinstatement) gives them another playmaker. Losing Engram would be a significant setback to the progress made, so don't expect Jacksonville to let him go easily. At the very least, we expect Engram to be tagged closer to the March 7 deadline if no long-term agreement is reached.