JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jaguars possess their two starting cornerbacks locked up for at least the next 3 seasons following the team agreed to terms with former Seattle Seahawk Shaquill Griffin on a three-year deala league source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Griffin’s contract is worth $44.5 million with $29 million ensured, the source stated.
The Seahawks and Griffin were far apart on cash before the negotiating window started, but Seattle left a strong push at the end and got very close, a source told ESPN’s Brady Henderson.
Griffin will match with 2020 first-round pick CJ Henderson to give the Jaguars two young corners that they could construct the secondary around. They needed the help: The Jaguars played with man-to-man policy in the fourth-highest rate in the league last year and permitted a league-high 8.7 yards a week, per NFL Next Gen Stats data.
The third-round choice began his career on the ideal side and had become the team’s No. 1 corner since moving into the left side in his next period after Richard Sherman premiered.
Griffin includes six interceptions in four seasons, such as a career-best three in 12 games in 2020. In addition, he has 48 passes defended.
He made his sole Pro Bowl as an alternate in 2019.
Griffin has played in 57 of a possible 64 regular-season games. He missed four games a year whilst handling a concussion and a hamstring injury. He missed one game in 2017 because of a concussion.
The Seahawks reunited Griffin with his twin brother Shaquem, a linebacker/pass-rusher, when they drafted the latter at the fifth round in 2018. The two played in college at UCF. The Seahawks aren’t tendering Shaquem Griffin as a restricted free agent, a source told ESPN’s Henderson, which will make him an unrestricted free agent.
The Jaguars also agreed to terms on Tuesday with former first-round pick Tyson Alualu on a two-year deal, per his representative Kenny Zuckerman.
The Jaguars drafted Alualu 10th overall in 2010, and he has awakened 258 tackles, 17.5 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles in seven years with the group. He’s missed two games he had been inactive in Weeks 1 and 2 in 2016. Until then, he’d played in 96 consecutive games, a streak that’s the third longest in franchise history.
Alualu played under present Jaguars defensive coordinator Joe Cullen when he was the Jaguars’ defensive line coach from 2010-12. Alualu spent the previous four decades with Pittsburgh and had 140 tackles and seven sacks.
In addition, the Jaguars re-signed cornerback Sidney Jones and agreed to terms with tight end Chris Manhertz (per agent Sean Stellato) and defensive end Jihad Ward (per NFL Network).