Marqise Lee will be back in Duval.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Tuesday that the Jacksonville Jaguars will re-sign the 26-year-old receiver. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the team is giving Lee a four-year, $38 million contract with $18 million guaranteed. The Jags selected Lee in the second round of the 2014 draft. Since then, he has played in 53 games (started 29) in his four seasons in the NFL, all with Jacksonville.
WR Marqise Lee back to the Jags, source says
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 13, 2018
Jaguars are giving WR Marqise Lee a four-year deal with a max value of $38 million, including $18M guaranteed, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 13, 2018
Report: Jacksonville Jaguars Bringing Back Wide Receiver Marqise Lee on Four-Year Deal
While the Jaguars had a successful season in 2017, Lee had somewhat of a disappointing one. Last season Lee finished with 56 receptions, 702 receiving yards, and three touchdowns in 13 games. Even though his three touchdowns tied a career high, the rest of the numbers were down across the board, which is interesting because, from a stats perspective, the injury to Allen Robinson put Lee in a position to improve his numbers from the prior year. However, the 2017 Jaguar offense cut down on the number of times they threw the ball. In comparison to the 2016 season, the Jaguars ran 109 fewer pass plays. The rise of Dede Westbrook and Keelan Cole also didn’t help Lee’s production in 2017.
In 2016, Lee had his breakout year. He finished the year with 63 receptions, 851 receiving yards, and three touchdowns in 16 games. Those numbers were a huge improvement over his 15 receptions and 191 receiving yards the previous year. Blake Bortles threw the ball 627 times, which was good for third in the league in 2016, and that helped Lee to establish a career high in targets (105). The injury to Allen Hurns, which led to him missing five games, also played a role in Lee’s breakout.
Prior to his impressive 2016 campaign, Lee had amassed 52 receptions, 613 receiving yards, and two touchdowns in his first two seasons with the Jaguars. Those numbers are not indicative of the draft capital that the Jaguars had invested in him. In 2014, the Jaguars used the first of their two second-round picks on Marqise Lee. Lee’s workout metrics and his production at the USC drew the attention of the Jaguars. In his sophomore year, Lee put up video game-like numbers. He had 118 receptions, 1,721 receiving yards, and 14 touchdowns in only 13 games. Lee’s best player comp on PlayerProfiler.com and his college production points to a level of production that he has yet to reach in the NFL.
