What is the Jaguars' History With the Franchise Tag?

What has the franchise tag meant for the Jaguars in their history?

The franchise tag window opens for all 32 NFL teams at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, and all expectations are the Jaguars will be one of the teams using the window to place the tag. 

If the Jaguars tag Josh Allen (or, less likely, Calvin Ridley), it will mark the fifth year in a row the Jaguars have used the tag and the 11th time overall. 

But what happened the first 10 times the Jaguars used the tag? We break down their entire tag history below.

2000: DE Tony Brackens 

The first time the Jaguars ever used the franchise tag was on the franchise's leader in sacks. Tony Brackens had gone to his first Pro Bowl in 1999 and was set for a big pay day in 2000, so the Jaguars opted to place a $4.253 million tag on their star pass-rusher. 

Brackens was tagged on Feb. 10 that year and then signed his tender off on Aug. 11 after holding out for the first three weeks of training camp. On Aug. 24, Brackens signed a new six-year, $38.3 million deal.

2003: S Donovin Darius/2004: S Donovin Darius/2005: S Donovin Darius 

The only player in franchise history to be franchise tagged three times, former star safety Donovin Darius is one of just a handful of players in NFL history to be tagged that many times. Darius was tagged at the conclusion of his rookie deal, then again in 2004 after a career year, and finally for the last time in 2005.

Darius avoided playing under the tag a third time, though, signing an extension shortly before the end of August that year. Darius would go on  to tear his ACL in the 2005 season, suffered a broken leg in 2006, and then be released before the 2007 season.

2011: TE Marcedes Lewis 

It is wild to think that Marcedes Lewis just finished another NFL season a decade after being franchise-tagged by the Jaguars. Lewis never played a down on the tag, though, with the Jaguars signing him to five-year extension. Lewis would play with the Jaguars through 2017 before his surprising release in 2018.

2012: K Josh Scobee 

The rare kicker franchise tag went to Josh Scobee in 2012, but it only took a few months for the Jaguars and him to agree to a new four-year deal. Scobee played through the first three years of the deal before being released in 2015.

2020: DE Yannick Ngakoue 

The one time in franchise history the Jaguars have done a tag-and-trade, it was always obvious that Yannick Ngakoue wouldn't play for the Jaguars in 2020. Ngakoue made his frustrations with the Jaguars clear on social media and indicated he wouldn't play on the tag, but the Jaguars got what they wanted when they traded Ngakoue to the Minnesota Vikings for a second-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and a conditional fifth-round selection in 2022.

2021: OT Cam Robinson/2022: OT Cam Robinson 

One of only two Jaguars players to ever be franchise-tagged multiple times, Cam Robinson played the 2021 season on the tag and was then tagged a second time under the Doug Pederson regime in 2022. Robinson then signed a three-year extension the day before the 2022 NFL Draft. 

2023: TE Evan Engram

The Jaguars are likely hoping last year's tag outcome repeats itself in 2024. The Jaguars placed the tag on Engram on March 6, giving the Jaguars more time to get a long-term deal done. The Jaguars signed Engram to a three-year, $41.25 million deal with $24 million guaranteed on July 16.