Impending FA Smoot Wants to Stay in Jacksonville, Also Wants to Be Paid His Worth

When the 2020 season draws to a close, the Jacksonville Jaguars will have a number of contract year players that they will need to make final decisions on. The most attention that has been paid to these players has been to Cam Robinson, Keelan Cole, and even Sidney Jones.

But what about Dawuane Smoot, the former third-round pick who is second on the team in sacks over the last two years with 10.5?

"Well, I already bought a house here so I’m looking to stay here. My family loves it here. I love it here," Smoot said on Thursday when asked about his interest in staying with the Jaguars after his contract expires.

"It’s a lot of opportunity here, so I’m definitely trying to stay here for a long time.”

Smoot hasn't been talked about much as a player the Jaguars should re-sign, though that is largely because he was relegated to a rotational role for much of his first 3.5 seasons in Jacksonville.

The No. 68 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Smoot recorded zero and just three tackles for loss in his first two seasons. But Smoot had a career season in 2019, finishing fourth on the team in sacks with six. This strong performance in 2019 led to some hope that his continued development would continue in 2020.

At first, it didn't -- though no fault of Smoot. The veteran defensive end was extremely disruptive in Week 5 against the Houston Texans, recording six pressures and proving to be a menacing presence against the run on the edge. But aside from this game, Smoot and the rest of Jacksonville's defensive line struggled to get to the quarterback as the secondary struggled.

A switch has been flipped in recent weeks, however. Due to injuries to Josh Allen, Smoot has been needed on the field more since Week 11, playing 144 snaps in the process. Smoot has taken advantage of his new opportunities, recording three sacks, three tackles for loss, six quarterback hits, and five pressures over the last three games.

“It feels great. I’m happy. My family’s happy. I’m just happy that I’m being able to kind of show my talents as late in the season leading up to the end of my contract year," Smoot said. "It’s been great. I’ve been happy. Everything’s been good.”

“Just like you said, you never want to see anybody go down, but it’s definitely the next man up. I’ve been waiting for my opportunity for four years. These last three starts I’ve been able to put up good numbers, been getting a sack each one of my starts, so I’m just trying to keep it going.”

It remains to be seen just what kind of deal Smoot will command once he is eligible to hit the open market in March. A comparable deal could be the one the Jaguars paid Rodney Gunter -- three years, $18 million overall with $11.5 million in guarantees.

But if the Jaguars want to keep homegrown talent this offseason, they may want to ensure that their most productive defensive lineman of 2020 returns. Smoot leads the team in sacks (4.5), tackles for loss (five), and pressures (25). Injuries to Allen play a big role in this, but Smoot has picked up his play over the last several weeks.

"I’ve just been sticking to my game plan, just working as hard as I have been since the offseason. It’s just kind of coming together for me now, kind of all coming to fruition," Smoot said. "So, I’ve just been working as hard as I can, just kind of trying to stick to it.”

Will Smoot be willing to take a hometown discount of sorts for the team that drafted him out of Illinois in 2017? While he clearly wants to stay in Jacksonville, the veteran defensive lineman won't quite go that far.

“I would say I need to be paid what I’m worth," Smoot laughed. "Let me just say that."

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