Evan Engram, Jaguars agree to extension ahead of franchise tag deadline

Evan Engram is staying in Jacksonville for the foreseeable future.

The tight end agreed to a three-year deal with the Jaguars, his agent Mike McCartney announced Sunday. The deal is worth $41.25 million over the duration of the contract, with $24 million fully guaranteed, ESPN reported. The deal will make Engram the sixth-highest-paid tight end on an annual basis and the ninth-highest paid among all tight ends in total value, according to FOX Sports' Ben Arthur.  

Engram received the franchise tag from the Jaguars earlier in the offseason, which would've given him $11.345 million guaranteed for the 2023 season, but also left him without a contract following the year. The extension also comes right before Monday's deadline for players on the franchise tag to sign multi-year deals with their current squads. Once Monday's 4 p.m. ET deadline passes, players who are on the franchise tag can't negotiate a multi-year deal with their teams until season's end. 

Tony Pollard, Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs are the only players on the franchise tag that remain without a deal. 

Engram — a 2017 first-round pick — had a career year in his first season in Jacksonville. His 73 receptions for 766 yards were both personal bests, and he also tacked on four receiving touchdowns, helping Trevor Lawrence breakout in his second season. The deal will keep Engram, who turns 29 in September, with Lawrence until the end of the 2025 season.

Prior to signing a one-year, $9 million deal with the Jaguars last offseason, Engram played the first five seasons of his career with the New York Giants. Engram had a strong rookie season, recording 64 receptions for 722 yards and six touchdowns. He wasn't able to match those numbers in any of the other four seasons he played in New York, finishing with only 408 receiving yards in his final season with the team in 2021.