The Jacksonville Jaguars began retooling their personnel on both sides of the ball Tuesday, with their biggest move coming in the form of a three-year, $40 million deal with free-agent cornerback Shaquill Griffin, according to multiple reports.
Griffin was in talks to return to the Seattle Seahawks but instead is relocating to Florida. Griffin, 25, is from St. Petersburg, Fla., and played collegiately at Central Florida in Orlando.
Jacksonville was flush with cash to spend on free agents following a roster purge the previous two offseasons that included trading away Pro Bowl cover men Jalen Ramsey (Rams) and A.J. Bouye (Broncos).
Light on experience, Jaguars cornerbacks were charged with 19 touchdown passes surrendered in 2020, even as rookie first-round pick CJ Henderson flashed shut-down potential. But Henderson had labrum surgery and only played in eight games. Head coach Urban Meyer said Henderson is recovering but remains “integral” to the defense going forward.
Landing Griffin adds to a focal point for the Jaguars early in free agency. Per reports, cornerbacks Sidney Jones and Tre Herndon also re-signed with Jacksonville.
Griffin was a third-round pick of the Seahawks in 2017. He had three of his six career interceptions last season.
Later in the day, Jacksonville agreed to a two-year, $14.5 million deal with wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr., according to multiple reports. Jones, 31, spent the past five seasons in Detroit, where he caught 289 passes and 36 touchdowns for the Lions. He had 978 yards and nine touchdowns in 2020.
Jacksonville also acquired defensive tackle Malcom Brown from the New Orleans Saints for an unspecified draft pick, according to multiple reports. Brown reportedly signed a new two-year deal worth up to $11 million as part of the deal. The 27-year-old played collegiately under Jags assistant head coach Charlie Strong at Texas.
Jacksonville ranked 30th in run defense in 2020.
