Latest news with #Jaguars
USA Today
5 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Josh Hines-Allen shares early impressions of Anthony Campanile and new Jaguars' defense
Josh Hines-Allen shares early impressions of Anthony Campanile and new Jaguars' defense After Monday's OTA practice, DE Josh Hines-Allen shared his early impressions of Anthony Campanile and the Jaguars' new defense. When Emmanuel Ogbah described what it is like playing for new Jacksonville Jaguars' defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile, a few of the traits he mentioned were his "energy" and "toughness." For Josh Hines-Allen, it's Campanile's love and passion for the game and his players that stick out. "Coach Camp has been awesome," Hines-Allen said after Monday's practice. "You step in that meeting room, you're going to expect one thing, it's the passion, it's the love. It's the love of the game he has. Calais (Campbell) always told me, if you want to be great at something, you gotta love it, you gotta respect it. And so for me, he respects the game, he loves it, he loves the team, he loves the players that are playing for him." Under Campanile, this is going to be a more malleable defensive scheme, meaning that it will be quick to adjust on a week-to-week basis, and in-game, depending on what the opponent is doing. Like any play-caller, Campanile has his core principles that his system is built around, but he will mold the scheme to what his players do well and the skill sets he has on the roster to work with. In the secondary, Campanile discussed recently the importance of versatility, which can help disguise coverages and keep quarterbacks guessing. While up front, Maason Smith highlighted the attacking play style that the defense line is asked to play with in this system. Of course, the scheme, the implementation of it, and the execution on the field all matters immensely. But also at the top of the priority list for Campanile is making sure this Jaguars' defense has a "tough, fast, physical, and violent at the point of attack" play style. With Campanile leading the way, the defenders that were already on the roster, and the additions made this offseason, the Jaguars are a team that appears to be on the right path. However, as Campanile says, and as Hines-Allen reiterated, "talk is cheap." Improved play on defense begins with what the Jaguars are doing right now in practice and the foundation they are laying. "It starts right now," said Hines-Allen. "Coach Camp has a saying, talk is cheap. We can talk about how good we're going to be or how legendary our defense or individual players can be, it's all about the work we put in every day. The communication that we have in the red zone, backed up situations, playing good situational football. Knowing what everybody has to do, being in the right place, and it starts out here. "If we can stack great days out here, if we can keep doing it, and then we put the pads on, and we can continue to be physical up front, linebackers flying downhill, DBs staying in the backfield because we don't kneed them because we're stopping the run up front, and we got pass rushers up front. It's all about that trust."
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Travis Hunter Catching Attention Over Future Implications With Contract
Travis Hunter Catching Attention Over Future Implications With Contract originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Jacksonville Jaguars have big plans for rookie Travis Hunter and they may be making NFL history in the process. Advertisement The No. 2 overall pick in April's NFL Draft, Hunter has spent the offseason preparing for a two-way role. The Heisman Trophy winner at Colorado, Hunter starred at both wide receiver and cornerback in college. So far, the Jaguars have had him primarily working with the offense, but he's also attending defensive meetings and taking reps with the secondary. Given the price Jacksonville paid to acquire Hunter, effectively two first-round picks and a second-rounder, it's clear the franchise views him as a force on both sides of the ball. His talents could make him a rare commodity, not only in terms of on-field production but also in how his future contracts are structured. ESPN's Dan Graziano dug into the fine details about what the Jags might be in for over the coming years. Hunter's rookie deal is locked in at four years and $46.6 million, with a fifth-year option, under the NFL's collective bargaining agreement. But the CBA presents issues when evaluating a player who may log regular snaps on both offense and defense. Advertisement For instance, Hunter could benefit from the league's performance-based pay system, which awards bonuses to players based on their snap counts relative to salary. In 2024, teams had a $14.1 million PBP pool, and Hunter could earn hundreds of thousands in bonuses if he becomes one of the Jaguars' highest snap-count players. Unlike star quarterbacks or linemen, two-way players like Hunter could rack up snaps in all three phases — offense, defense and special teams — potentially maximizing their bonus eligibility. How the CBA determines fifth-year option values and franchise tag designations will be key. If Hunter plays more snaps at cornerback than at wide receiver in his third year, he would be classified as a cornerback. If so, that would cost him millions in future earnings. In 2024, the fifth-year option for top cornerbacks was $20.2 million, compared to $24 million for top wide receivers. One potential solution would be a compromise similar to what the Ravens did with edge rusher Matthew Judon in 2020, when a positional classification dispute led to a one-year, split-the-difference deal. Advertisement Contract incentives could also get tricky. The CBA allows players to have bonuses based on individual or team accomplishments, but normally not across sides of the ball. However, if Hunter plays at least 15 percent of snaps on both offense and defense, he could qualify for unique incentive structures. This would be based on earning bonuses for both interceptions and touchdowns. That flexibility could allow Hunter and his agent to get creative when he's eligible for a contract extension after the 2027 season. However, the Jaguars would need to agree to classify those incentives as "likely to be earned," which counts against the salary cap. Related: Deion Sanders Reveals He's Been Battling Health Issues During Offseason Hunter's dual-role potential has already sparked comparisons to Shohei Ohtani and how the two-way baseball superstar landed a $700 million contract with the Dodgers. While the NFL has a hard salary cap, Hunter's ability to perform at a high level on both sides of the ball may force teams to reconsider traditional contract frameworks in the years ahead. Advertisement Related: Browns Insider Turns Heads Over Comments on Shedeur Sanders For now, the Jaguars appear committed to letting the experiment play out. If Hunter succeeds, he could reshape how NFL stars are evaluated and compensated. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
NBC Sports
9 hours ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Liam Coen: Brian Thomas Jr. has "freakish" talents and traits
New Jaguars head coach Liam Coen has been impressed with one of the team's young receivers. Brian Thomas Jr. led all rookies in 2024 with 1,282 receiving yards and 10 receiving touchdowns, also finishing with 87 receptions. He was a Pro Bowler and finished No. 4 in AP offensive rookie of the year voting. Coen told reporters in his Monday press conference that he's enjoyed working with the young receiver during the offseason program. 'He's got freakish talents. He's got some freakish traits,' Coen said, via transcript from the team. 'Just his attention to detail in the meeting room setting, being able to answer questions, you see some of his personality come to life as well. But you see, when we get into competitive situations, there's definitely a little bit of an uptick. You get the feedback from some of these guys, especially when it's scripted, they're just kind of, like, again? Again? So, we start doing more call-it, and you start to see especially 'BT' come to life. 'The ability for a big dude like him to be able to operate in the slot, run some of the choice and option routes, but also be able to go vertical and catch the ball down the field, he's been a real pleasure to work with so far.' After playing much of last season with Mac Jones at quarterback, Thomas could be in a good position to excel as a second-year player with Coen calling the plays and Trevor Lawrence behind center tossing him passes.
USA Today
9 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Liam Coen denies Travis Etienne trade rumors: 'Absolutely inaccurate'
Liam Coen denies Travis Etienne trade rumors: 'Absolutely inaccurate' Show Caption Hide Caption Jaguars select Travis Hunter No. 2 overall, here's what they'll get Travis Hunter captivated the college football world with his two-way abilities and now the Jaguars are ready to see what he can do in the NFL Sports Pulse Pump the brakes on any Travis Etienne trade rumors. The Jacksonville Jaguars running back has been a target of trade speculation over the last month. Part of the reasoning? His team's new regime – led by rookie general manager James Gladstone and rookie head coach Liam Coen – decided to draft two running backs in the 2025 NFL Draft: Bhayshul Tuten in the fourth round and LeQuint Allen in the seventh. But Jaguars head coach Liam Coen's comments to reporters on Monday suggest that Etienne's job is safe. "Every day, everything we've asked him to do, he's done at a good click for us," Coen said. "He's done a great job. I don't really understand some of the stuff I've seen out there. That's absolutely inaccurate." JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: Win-loss record predictions after schedule release The Jaguars have at least five running backs on their offseason roster after adding two in the draft: Etienne, Tank Bigsby and Keilan Robinson are returning, and Tuten and Allen are the incoming rookies. Last year was Etienne's first full season without at least 1,000 rushing yards in his career as the Jaguars struggled offensively. The team finished the 2024 season averaging 101.7 rushing yards per game, the seventh-lowest average of any team last year. After Etienne missed his entire rookie season with a Lisfranc injury, the Clemson product put together back-to-back 1,000-yard efforts in 2022 and 2023. That was an impressive feat in the latter season as he was beginning to split carries with Bigsby, the then-rookie that Jacksonville had drafted before the 2023 season. In 2024, Etienne missed two games with a hamstring injury. He finished the year with 558 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns on 150 carries – good for an average of 3.7 yards per carry. He also tallied 254 receiving yards on 39 catches for a total of 812 yards from scrimmage on 180 touches. Notably, Bigsby finished ahead of Etienne in carries and rushing yards in 2024, though Etienne's injury meant that Bigsby did play in one more game than his more veteran counterpart. Etienne is playing on his fifth-year option in 2025 and is set to become a free agent after the season.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Liam Coen denies Travis Etienne trade rumors: 'Absolutely inaccurate'
Pump the brakes on any Travis Etienne trade rumors. The Jacksonville Jaguars running back has been a target of trade speculation over the last month. Part of the reasoning? His team's new regime – led by rookie general manager James Gladstone and rookie head coach Liam Coen – decided to draft two running backs in the 2025 NFL Draft: Bhayshul Tuten in the fourth round and LeQuint Allen in the seventh. Advertisement But Jaguars head coach Liam Coen's comments to reporters on Monday suggest that Etienne's job is safe. "Every day, everything we've asked him to do, he's done at a good click for us," Coen said. "He's done a great job. I don't really understand some of the stuff I've seen out there. That's absolutely inaccurate." JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: Win-loss record predictions after schedule release The Jaguars have at least five running backs on their offseason roster after adding two in the draft: Etienne, Tank Bigsby and Keilan Robinson are returning, and Tuten and Allen are the incoming rookies. Advertisement Last year was Etienne's first full season without at least 1,000 rushing yards in his career as the Jaguars struggled offensively. The team finished the 2024 season averaging 101.7 rushing yards per game, the seventh-lowest average of any team last year. After Etienne missed his entire rookie season with a Lisfranc injury, the Clemson product put together back-to-back 1,000-yard efforts in 2022 and 2023. That was an impressive feat in the latter season as he was beginning to split carries with Bigsby, the then-rookie that Jacksonville had drafted before the 2023 season. In 2024, Etienne missed two games with a hamstring injury. He finished the year with 558 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns on 150 carries – good for an average of 3.7 yards per carry. He also tallied 254 receiving yards on 39 catches for a total of 812 yards from scrimmage on 180 touches. Notably, Bigsby finished ahead of Etienne in carries and rushing yards in 2024, though Etienne's injury meant that Bigsby did play in one more game than his more veteran counterpart. Advertisement Etienne is playing on his fifth-year option in 2025 and is set to become a free agent after the season. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Liam Coen: Travis Etienne is here to stay; trade rumors 'inaccurate'
