When Evan Engram signed a one-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars during the 2022 offseason, it was a chance for the former first-round pick and Pro Bowler to prove he wasn’t a draft bust. What he didn’t expect to find was a home in Duval.
“From day one, coming in here, I was on a mission to prove a lot to myself as a player, but I wasn’t expecting the amount of support that I got from the fan base and my coaches and the people here,” Engram told Kai Stevens of Jaguars.com on Monday. “Obviously my family, they’ve always got my back from day one, but just the love I have here, it means a lot and it helps me a lot.”
After achieving career-best and franchise-record reception and receiving yard totals on a “prove it” deal with the Jaguars, he received the franchise tag from the team in March. Four months later, Engram and the Jaguars reached an agreement on a three-year deal this week that places him among the highest paid tight ends in the NFL.
In addition to securing his future in Jacksonville, the new contract also smooths over any chance of drama between the team and Engram, who skipped organized team activities (OTAs) during the contract negotiations.
“That was kind of the toughest thing about this process was not being here for OTAs and not being out on the field with my guys,” Engram told Stevens. “We actually were just in Arizona getting some work in together and everybody looks so good. We didn’t miss a beat.
“Trevor looks good, he’s leading the team. Calvin [Ridley], Christian [Kirk], Zay [Jones], all the young guys are out there working. So I can’t wait to see what we can do when we put everything together.”
Engram is now set to be with the Jaguars through the 2025 season and is due to make $41.25 million over the next three years.
