Maybe a couple of years ago, the Jacksonville Jaguars wouldn’t have thought they had to plan for a big contract in the future for Parker Washington.
Washington has upended those plans, though. He’s proven himself to be too good to consider letting leave when his current deal is up. He’ll likely demand a big-money extension, and the Jags very likely will give it to him.
The 5-foot-10 receiver was just a sixth-round pick in 2023 out of Penn State, but he’s still just 24 years old, and he’s coming off a season in which he had 58 catches for 847 yards and five tocuhdowns.
Washington had five grabs for 83 yards and a score in the Jaguars’ Week 1 34-10 win over the Browns, and he should be at the heart of Jacksonville’s offense all season long.
He’s also currently playing out the final year of his rookie contract without a new deal in place.
Parker Washington Contract Update
In a new article in Week 2, ESPN’s NFL insider Jeremy Fowler revealed some new intel on what Washington could be looking at in a future deal.
“Jaguars receiver Parker Washington going for 83 yards and a touchdown Sunday was noteworthy since the player and team failed to reach a contract extension before Week 1,” Fowler writes. “Washington can follow the Alec Pierce plan to free agency: ball out in Year 4 and push well past $25 million per year on a new deal. Pierce got four years, $114 million from Indy after recording his first 1,000-yard season.”
Even a year ago, it would’ve been shocking to know that Washington had $25 million annually (and probably more) coming his way.
Now, it’d be a surprise if he didn’t sign a nine-figure deal.
The fact that the Jaguars and Washington didn’t reach an agreement before the season could age poorly for Jacksonville just in the sense that it seems Washington will only get more expensive — although to be fair, Washington could’ve already been asking for a huge payday, and maybe that’s why a deal wasn’t reached in the first place.
A Brian Thomas Jr. Dilemma
The only potential issue down the road is that in a couple years, Brian Thomas Jr. will also be ready for a contract extension. He hasn’t quite lived up to his rookie season, but he’s still clearly an immense talent, and the Jaguars still are counting on him to be key this season and in the future.
Could the Jags afford both Washington and Thomas on big long-term extensions? It’s a future problem, but not that far into the future.
If there was any reason for Jacksonville to hesitate on signing Washington for lots of cash, it’d be if they feel Thomas will be more worth the investment at the wide receiver position.
It’s definitely worth watching as this season goes along. Someone is going to pay Washington handsomely, whether or not it’s the Jaguars.
Jaguars’ Parker Washington Contract Plan Revealed by NFL Insider