Malik Jackson became one of the major free agency beneficiaries from the Denver Broncos Super Bowl winning defense.
The defensive end is set to sign a six-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The contract will be worth up to $90 million and contains $42 million in guaranteed money. Jackson spent the first four seasons of his NFL career in Denver.
#Jaguars have emerged as the landing spot for #Broncos DT Malik Jackson, source said. Negotiations ongoing, but it's expected to get done
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 8, 2016
UPDATE: Malik Jackson's deal with Jaguars is worth about $15M per season for 5 or 6 years. (via @AdamSchefter & @nflnetwork)
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 8, 2016
Malik Jackson To Sign 6-Year Deal with Jaguars
Jackson was certainly not the most hyped up player on the Broncos fearsome defensive front in the aftermath of their Super Bowl victory. It’s hard to argue with the fact such an honor belonged to Von Miller. But that’s not to say he didn’t play a big role in the massive success the unit enjoyed en route to championship glory.
The 26-year-old Jackson has 5.5 sacks during the regular season in 2015. That was tied for third best on the team, with only Miller and DeMarcus Ware tallying more. And he didn’t need to get his hands on opposing quarterbacks to make his presence felt. When you include the postseason, Jackson finished with 56 quarterback hurries, which was second among defensive ends. He also had seven batted balls which was also second best at his position.
He will forever be known as the player who scored the first touchdown of Super Bowl 50. Midway through the first quarter, he took advantage of a Von Miller strip sack of Carolina quarterback Cam Newton near the goal line. The ball would trickle into the end zone and Jackson would fall on it for the score.
The Los Angeles native originally played collegiately at USC. After his sophomore year, he would transfer to Tennessee where he would be named second team all-SEC his senior season. The Broncos would take him in the fifth round (137th overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft. The four-year rookie deal he signed averaged just $578,403 per year (per OverTheCap.com), making the extension he will sign with Jacksonville quite the pay raise.
