Jaguars WR Keelan Cole Reflects on Contract Year Situation
Keelan Cole doesn't know what the future holds ... other than he hopes it doesn't hold cold weather.
The fourth-year Jaguars receiver is in his fourth season and the final year of his contract with the team. He signed a second-round tender as a restricted free agent with the team last offseason, but it is a different scenario heading into the final games of 2020.
But as of now, the former undrafted free agent turned starting slot receiver isn't looking at the future or any potential payday when the season ends. He knows he has to play out this year and earn it on the field first.
“Honestly, you can’t give me a specific number, so I’m ain’t really hyped about nothing. I’m going to keep going until that number [is] written down right there in my face," Cole said in a media conference on Wednesday.
Through nine games in 2020, Cole is second on the Jaguars in targets (49), catches (34), receiving yards (427), and yards per reception (12.6). He is tied for the team lead in touchdown catches with four.
Cole played 67% of the offensive snaps as a rookie in 2016 and he then played 66% of the snaps in 2018. So far in 2020, he has played 74% of the offensive snaps this season and is on track to shatter his previous career-high in receptions per game.
Cole stepping up as the team's starting slot receiver is a stark contrast from 2019, where he served as a backup to Dede Westbrook and Chris Conley. Cole played just 34% of the snaps in former offensive coordinator John DeFilippo's scheme, catching 24 passes for 361 yards and three touchdowns -- career lows in reception and receiving yards.
Now, Cole has emerged as a starting quality receiver and chances are he will command a decently-sized deal this offseason. But does he want that deal to be with the team he has been with since his first day in the NFL? He doesn't seem opposed.
"I’m down. There’s 32 teams. I’ve been on this one team for three and three-fourths of a year and, like I said, it hasn’t been the greatest thing but it’s football and that’s what we’re here for. We’re here to play football. We’re obviously here to get paid," Cole said.
"Like I said, you asked about the money, I can’t give you the money. I can’t really hope for it to come honestly. I just have to do my part and let everything play its role. When it comes to being in Jacksonville, I’m not really a party guy or anything and apparently Jacksonville doesn’t have that, so I feel really good here. I like the warm weather, hate the cold, shoutout to Green Bay. I like the warm weather. I like being here, I like being a Jaguar. I’d rather be a Jaguar than a Falcon or a bird or some s*** like that.”
Whether the Jaguars and Cole strike a deal for the future will not be known for several more months. Until then, Cole has seven more Sundays to impress Jacksonville's front office, as well as the other 31 front offices in the league ... even the bird-themed ones.
