A feud may be brewing between the Jaguars and one of the NFL’s best linebackers.
Josh Allen — not to be confused with the Bills’ superstar quarterback with the same name — is reportedly unhappy that Jacksonville general manager Trent Baalke told the media on Thursday the star pass rusher “will be a Jaguar” in 2024 despite any progress on a long-term deal.
The linebacker, who played on his fifth-year option last season, is “not happy that Baalke would take time to talk to the media about Allen before taking time to [talk to] Allen or his agent about Allen,” Pro Football Talk reported Friday.
Allen, the No. 7 pick in the 2019 draft, has blossomed into a star with the Jaguars, with whom he set the franchise’s single-season record for sacks in 2023 with 17.5.
Jacksonville has the option to offer Allen a long-term contract or assign him with the franchise tag.
“I’m not going to commit to anything right now relative to the franchise tag,” Baalke said Thursday, according to the team website. “At the same token, Josh Allen’s going to be a Jaguar next year.”
The general manager added that the team is “very far” from a deal with Allen.
“Those negotiations will start,” Baalke said. “I know Josh wants to be here. I know we want him here. Can we come to a number that works for everybody? That’s the key and I respect that. You have to respect these guys that put themselves in this position. They work hard. They deserve to make good money. What that ‘good’ means to them could be different than what it means to us.
“We just have to come together, sit down at the table and work things out.”
The Jaguars, who won the AFC South with a 9-8 record in 2022 behind Trevor Lawrence, failed to make the playoffs this year after finishing with the same mark.