The Jacksonville Jaguars are no strangers to selecting in the top-five of the NFL Draft. Since the 2015 NFL Draft, the Jaguars have drafted a player with a top-five pick six different times. The latest was dual-threat player Travis Hunter, who struggled during his rookie season before a midseason injury prematurely ended his first year in the NFL.
Hunter’s season-ending injury was not the first time a Jaguars top-five draft pick has undergone a season-ending surgery in his rookie season. In fact, Dante Fowler Jr., who was drafted with the third overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft suffered a torn ACL during the first day of minicamp. Eleven years later and former Jaguars linebackers coach Robert Saleh, who is now the Titans head coach, still feels the effects of that injury as he announced the Titans rookies would not be doing any on-field work during minicamp.
Fortunately for Fowler, his career was able to turn around, which recently led to him signing with the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.
Former Jacksonville Jaguars Defender Signs With Seahawks
NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero reported that former Jacksonville Jaguars third overall pick Dante Fowler Jr. had agreed to a one-year, $5 million contract with the Seattle Seahawks.
Prior to this new contract, Fowler had totaled over $74 million in career earnings, according to Spotrac.
Unfortunately for the Jaguars, Fowler’s injury during minicamp seemed to derail his tenure with the team before a trade to the Los Angeles Rams resurrected his career. After Fowler’s first season with the Rams, Robert Klemko wrote for Sports Illustrated about Fowler’s struggles with Jacksonville:
“Fowler’s been the No. 3 pick in the draft, questioned his own love of the game, fought depression, been arrested and later, traded. It all started with an injury. Those who have suffered it say can it affect the mind as much as or more than the knee itself. Before he’d ever taken a snap, Fowler tore his ACL on the first day of rookie minicamp for the Jaguars in 2015. He would miss the entire season, setting the course for his downfall in Jacksonville and rebirth in Los Angeles. Fowler had never before waited on success, never suffered so drastic a setback.”
Regarding the impact the former Jaguars player might have with the Seahawks, Michael Hanich wrote for Seahawks on SI:
“For the Seahawks, they get another veteran presence at the edge that can not only help with depth, but they also get a solid replacement for Boye Mafe, who left for free agency this offseason. The Seahawks’ most needed position to address after the Draft was at edge rusher. For Fowler, he can look to contribute with an elite defense and attempt to win his first Super Bowl.”
Jacksonville Jaguars Draft
Of course, the Jacksonville Jaguars decision to draft Fowler came from a previous regime. The current Jaguars front office, led by general manager James Gladstone has drawn attention due to his unconventional draft picks.
As a result, The Ringer’s Danny Kelly gave the team a D grade for their 2026 NFL Draft. Kelly wrote:
“The Jags came into this year’s draft at a disadvantage after sending Cleveland their first-rounder as part of last year’s trade for Travis Hunter, but it’s tough to get excited about what the team did with their remaining picks, either. They got good value in grabbing Oregon guard Emmanuel Pregnon in the third round, and he offers starting potential for Jacksonville early in his career.
But the rest of GM James Gladstone’s picks were either uninspiring or downright confusing: Second-round tight end Nate Boerkircher is a 24-year-old sixth-year senior who posted just 38 catches in his college career; third-round defensive tackle Albert Regis is a sawed-off, stout interior lineman who posted limited production (3.5 sacks and 11 TFL) over the last four seasons; and third-round cornerback Jalen Huskey lacks of top-end speed (he ran a 4.55-second 40-yard dash at his pro day, according to Dane Brugler). Overall, the Jaguars focused on lower value position groups while showing wild disregard for consensus pre-draft rankings (which was the case last year too). We’ll have to wait to find out if Gladstone and Co. are actually that much smarter than everyone else, but on the surface this looks like a really rough draft class.”
Seahawks Sign Former Jaguars $74 Million Talent After 2026 NFL Draft