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Jacksonville Turning Into A Free Agent Destination

See why players are finding Jacksonville as an attractive destination.

Mark Gunnels

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We’re not even a week into free agency and it’s already been crazy to say the least. Darrelle Revis is back in a Jets uniform, while Andre Johnson has teamed up with Andrew Luck in Indy and DeMarco Murray is heading to the city of brotherly love.

While those transactions are receiving most of the headlines, people should be giving more notice to how Jacksonville has turned into an attractive destination for free agents.

Yes, you read that correctly.  Jacksonville is an attractive destination.

Despite winning just seven games during the past two seasons combine, Jacksonville has managed to sign seven free agents this off-season, who are all expected to start in 2015. For a franchise and city that is considered second-tier based on NFL standards, why are players finding Jacksonville attractive?

General manager Dave Caldwell gives credit to the people around him.

“It’s taken two years, but the perception has changed of Jacksonville,” Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell said. “A lot of that is because of Shad and Gus and the coaching staff. The players want to play here because of those factors.”

None of Jacksonville’s signings are bigger than Julius Thomas. The 2-time Pro Bowler agreed to a five-year deal, $46 million contract, which makes him the highest paid tight end in the league. Some say Thomas did it for the money, but he begs to differ.

“Everybody will say it’s about the money. That’s their opinion. I am not going to try and take them off that stance. I saw something here I could identify with.”

Thomas caught 43 passes to go along with 12 touchdowns in 2014. He does have a history of ankle problems, but when you’re Jacksonville, these are the type of chances that you must take.

“You have to look at what Coach Bradley is building,” Thomas said. “You have so many decisions to make as a free agent. Here we have an opportunity to build something. It’s good to take on part of the challenge and be a trailblazer and help a team get to where it sees itself. I was on a team with a lot of veteran guys who I looked up to and learned from. I am trying to bring that here. When you believe in something, and I believed in what they are doing here, it was easy to make the decision.”

While all of that sounds nice, the fact remains that Thomas went from a contender to a team in transition.

“People say you want to go to a contender,” Thomas explained. “Name a team that is a contender, and a little while ago, they weren’t a contender. Every team is close. Some teams that are good will fall off. Some teams that are struggling will have success. It’s up to the players and coaches to make this a contender. I am excited to be a part of it.”

In addition to Thomas, Jacksonville added Jermey Pernell, Jared Odrick, Davon House, Sergio Brown, Dan Skuta and Bryan Walters.

Walters is a wide receiver and punt returner coming from the Seattle Seahawks, but he sees similarities between the two franchises.

“The culture (Head Coach) Gus Bradley has brought here reminds me of Seattle, as far as the positive atmosphere and competing,” Walters said. “It’s just exciting. It’s up and coming. It’s a young team. There’s a lot of potential here and also a lot of opportunity.”

Owner Shad Khan is tired of waiting, however.

“We owe you better results on game day,” Khan said. “I know that. Dave knows that. Gus knows that. I want to make it clear — it’s my responsibility and yours that we deliver a team and an organization to you that you can be proud of on game days and every other day of the year.”

Don’t be expecting the Jaguars to compete for a Super Bowl anytime soon, but when players are saying they’re excited about coming to Jacksonville, that’s certainly a step in the right direction.

 

 

 

Mark Gunnels is an NFL columnist for Football Insiders. He has several years of experience covering the NFL and NCAA football. He's the radio color commentator for Lincoln University football. Mark's work has been featured on Sports Illustrated, Fox Sports and Yard Barker.

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