4 Observations on Jaguars' Big Deal for Brenton Strange: Another Bargain Down

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars have gotten yet another deal done.

A week after making Ross Matiscik the NFL's highest-paid long snapper, James Gladstone has officially inked star tight end Brenton Strange to his new extension as well.

Sources: The #Jaguars and standout TE Brenton Strange have agreed to a 3-year extension worth up to $48M with $25M guaranteed — per his agents Jim Ivler, JR Roggio, and Jon Perzley of @SPORTSTARSNYC.

The Penn State product caught 46 passes for 540 yards and 3 TDs in 12 games… pic.twitter.com/P0mHDMCUyA
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) June 24, 2026

So with Strange officially locked in for the next several seasons, what do we make of the deal? We break it all down below.

James Gladstone Got a Bargain

james gladstpm — Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone speaks during a press conference at the Miller Electric Center, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

We made our own contract projection for Strange last month and predicted that at the end of the day he would be around the NFL's third highest-paid tight end. The Jaguars and general manager James Gladstone managed to get Strange on a smaller deal than we even anticipated, bringing another apparent contract win to the table for Gladstone after he found similar bargains with Travon Walker, Buster Brown, and Jakobi Meyers.

Gladstone and the Jaguars have had no trouble cashing checks for players they deem core pieces moving forward, and nearly every one of the big contracts Gladstone has given the greenlight to since he was hied were extensions for home-grown players. Most of them have come at a solid price because Gladstone and the Jaguars opt to get ahead of deals and pay guys a bit early, which is a stark contrast from how the Jaguars used do business.

The Jaguars got better at retaining their developed talent during the Trent Baalke regime after the late 2010s and early 2020s saw way too many talented former Jaguars leave. But one thing the Jaguars failed to do then was get ahead of deals to get them done early and save some cash and value in the long-run -- remember the Josh Hines-Allen ordeal?

This regime looks like they do things differently, and it once again looks like they have managed to get a good deal by doing so. Until the Jaguars see it blow up in their faces, this should be the path they continue to take when it comes to contracts and big deals.

Kyle Pitts Helped Make it Happen

At 1:48 p.m. this afternoon, we wrote about why we thought the Kyle Pitts contract a day earlier made a Strange contract easy math to figure out. There were big gaps in the market at the position after other recent tight end deals, and Pitts certainly seemed to help set a ceiling for the next group of tight ends who were ready to get paid like Strange was. I didn't think it was so easy that it would happen an hour later, but the logic sure checks out.

The tight end market had simply become stagnant outside of the NFL's elite tiers of tight ends. While Strange arguably is as talented as any other top tight end in the NFL without the fanfare outside Jacksonville to show for it, the Pitts deal at least made it relatively easy to see exactly what a Strange deal could ultimately look like if done quickly.

Why the Timing Was Just Right

The timing on the Brenton Strange deal makes perfect sense, even in the wake of the Jaguars overhauling their entire tight end room behind in April's draft. It always felt like the Nate Boerkircher and, to a lesser extent, Tanner Koziol selections were more about adding to the offense to further boost Strange than to potentially replace him, and the Jaguars' actions have now said that loud and clear.

With Boerkircher and Koziol at tight end, the Jaguars believe Strange can see his game expand even more than it did a year ago. For example, the Jaguars will need him in pass protection less now because they have a blocker they trust in Boerkircher, allowing Strange to win in more ways as a route-runner. Strange seems due for a career year this season, and the price was only going to go up had the Jaguars waited.

There is also the fact that several other tight ends are due to get paid soon such as Tucker Kraft, Sam LaPorta, and an eventual market-shifting deal for Brock Bowers. The Jaguars likely saved themselves some serious cash by getting Strange done so quickly in the tight end market process, signing him just a few months after he even became eligible for an extension to begin with. This was perfect timing on several different levels.

We Know Who Has to be Next

parker washingto — Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Parker Washington (11) celebrates his first down pickup during the third quarter of an NFL football AFC Wild Card playoff matchup, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Bills defeated the Jaguars 27-24. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Now that the Jaguars have Strange locked in, it is clear who must be the next player the Jaguars sign to a big extension: wide receiver Parker Washington, who is set to be one of the offense's most important players alongside Strange this fall. The Jaguars have checked a ton of deals off the board this offseason, extending Matiscik, Travon Walker, and now Strange. The next logical step is to give Washington a new deal before he takes another big leap.

Some food for thought ,,, here is what Jaguars general manager James Gladstone said about Strange and Washington in January when asked about extensions for the former Penn State duo: "I think we'll take the time here. Obviously, it's all preliminary discussions at this point in time and probably premature to truly dive in. Have to wait until we hit that full three-year mark with the new league year but nonetheless, I think both Brenton and Parker are people that we feel like align strongly with how we want to move forward."

In my entire time covering Gladstone so far, he has made it very clear, first with his words and then with his actions, what moves he intends to make. He said Strange and Walker were guys they intended to keep around on long-term deals, and he made both happen relatively easy. He also did the same with Jakobi Meyers, Cole Van Lanen, and Montaric Brown.

When this Jaguars regime decides they want to keep you, they do just that. They have been selective and intentional about who they give big deals to, and Washington deserves to be the very next in line for one sooner much rather than later.

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