Jacksonville Jaguars agree to three-year, $44.5 million deal with Shaquill Griffin, source says
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jaguars have their two starting cornerbacks locked up for at least the next three seasons after the team agreed to terms with former Seattle Seahawk Shaquill Griffin on a three-year deal, a league source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Griffin’s contract is worth up to $44.5 million with $29 million guaranteed, the source said.
The Seahawks and Griffin were far apart on money before the negotiating window opened, but Seattle made a strong push at the end and got very close, a source told ESPN’s Brady Henderson.
Griffin will pair with 2020 first-round pick CJ Henderson to give the Jaguars two young corners they can build the secondary around. They really needed the help: The Jaguars played man-to-man coverage at the fourth-highest rate in the league last season and allowed a league-high 8.7 yards per attempt, per NFL Next Gen Stats data.
Griffin, who is 25, has been a starter for the Seahawks since early in his 2017 rookie season. The third-round selection began his career on the right side and had been the team’s No. 1 corner since moving to the left side in his second season after Richard Sherman was released.
Griffin has six interceptions in four seasons, including a career-best three in 12 games in 2020. He also has 48 passes defended.
He made his lone Pro Bowl as an alternate in 2019.
Griffin has played in 57 of a possible 64 regular-season games. He missed four games last season while dealing with a concussion and a hamstring injury. He missed one game in 2017 due to a concussion.
The Seahawks reunited Griffin with his twin brother Shaquem, a linebacker/pass-rusher, when they drafted the latter in the fifth round in 2018. The two also played together in college at UCF. The Seahawks aren’t tendering Shaquem Griffin as a restricted free agent, a source told ESPN’s Henderson, which will make him an unrestricted free agent.
The Jaguars also agreed to terms on Tuesday with former first-round pick Tyson Alualu on a two-year deal, per his agent Kenny Zuckerman.
The Jaguars drafted Alualu 10th overall in 2010, and he has racked up 258 tackles, 17.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles in seven years with the team. He’s missed just two games — he was inactive in Weeks 1 and 2 in 2016. Until then, he had played in 96 consecutive games, a streak that is the third longest in franchise history.
Alualu played under current Jaguars defensive coordinator Joe Cullen when he was the Jaguars’ defensive line coach from 2010-12. Alualu spent the past four years with Pittsburgh and had 140 tackles and seven sacks.
In addition, the Jaguars re-signed cornerback Sidney Jones and agreed to terms with tight end Chris Manhertz (per agent Sean Stellato) and defensive end Jihad Ward (per NFL Network).