Which of the Jacksonville Jaguars players is considered their top contract extension candidate?
Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports recently made his extension candidate for each NFL team. When it came to the Jaguars, Sullivan selected defensive end Travon Walker.
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“Walker has been durable, playing all 17 games in each of the last two seasons and has logged double-digit sacks in those campaigns,” wrote Sullivan. “He’s coming off a career-high 10.5 sack season in 2024, and if he continues to ascend he could put pressure on the Jaguars brass to lock him up long term.”
The Jaguars picked up Walker’s fifth-year option for the 2026 season earlier this offseason. So he is under contract for the next two years as he plays out the final year of his rookie deal in 2025.
However, reaching an extension prior to the 2026 season would benefit the Jaguars. For one, they would keep a productive and ascending player on their roster for the foreseeable future, and an extension would also lower Walker’s 2026 salary cap hit, where he is projected to account for nearly $15 million against the cap.
For an idea of what the ever-evolving edge market looks like at this moment, Josh Hines-Allen is the fifth-highest paid player at that position by average annual value at $28.25 million per season. Andrew Van Ginkel is 10th, earning $23 million on average. Bradley Chubb is 15th at $18.16 million, and Dayo Odeyingbo is 20th at $16 million per season, according to Over the Cap.
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Along with posting double-digit sacks the last two seasons, Walker recorded 59 pressures in 2023 and 56 pressures in 2024. For some context, among all defensive ends, those 56 pressures ranked as the 24th-most. Walker also totaled the 14th-most run stops at his position as well.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Travon Walker named Jaguars’ top contract extension candidate