Jacksonville Jaguars outside linebacker Josh Allen agreed to a five-year, $150 million contract extension with $88 million in guaranteed money. Several NFL insiders, including ESPN’s Adam Schefter, broke the news.

The Jaguars offered Allen the franchise tag worth $24 million this season, one year after he played under his $10.8 million fifth-year option. As the seventh overall pick in the 2019 draft, he earned a four-year rookie scale contract worth $22.7 million.

But as his new deal proved, it’s more of a placeholder, giving them more time to negotiate a deal with their edge rusher. Allen is coming off a season with a career-high 17.5 sacks, tied for second-best with Cincinnati’s Trey Hendrickson last season. His total represents 43.75 percent of Jacksonville’s total sacks in 2023.

It’s the second time Allen registered at least ten sacks in a season, the first one occurring during his rookie season when he had 10.5 sacks. The former Kentucky standout earned Pro Bowl nods when he had double-digit sacks.

Aside from his impressive sack total, Allen had 66 tackles, two forced fumbles, an interception, and a forced fumble.

While the finer details of Allen’s contract extension are still unknown, the Jaguars envision him as the cornerstone of their pass rush. They will need him to perform at a high level to defeat the quarterbacks within their division: Will Levis, Anthony Richardson, and 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud.

-Lance Fernandez