JACKSONVILLE FL. — The JaguarsProtective and defensive end Travon WalkerHe signed a contract two weeks after he was selected by the team with the first overall selection in the NFL draft.
A source informed ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the parties had agreed to a fully guaranteed, four-year contract valued at a little over $37 million. According to a league source, Walker is expected sign the contract later in the day.
There is not much drama about rookie contract negotiations due to the league’s collective agreement rules. This clause saves money for teams if a player has to be cut before they finish their rookie contract. Walker’s contract does NOT include offset language, as it is fully guaranteed.
Based on where players were selected, the location of the player’s selection determines which Salaries.
Walker joins Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (No. 2 overall), New York Jetscornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner (No. (No. Carolina PanthersOffensive tackle Ikem “Ickey” Ekwonu (No. 6) are the players chosen in the top 10 picks to be signed to their rookie contracts.
Walker played the College Football Playoff, playing his best football in 2021. Walker had 10 of his 29 pressures during the two games. He also scored a career-high seven points in Georgia’s title-game win over Alabama. After only having 3.5 sacks each of his previous two seasons, he had six sacks in the games.
Walker spent the majority of his snaps as a defensive end and was a key member of the Bulldogs rush defense which ranked second in FBS with 2.66 yards per rush. Walker also played outside linebacker and defensive tackle. The Jaguars plan on using him the same way as Mike Caldwell’s defensive coordinator, but Trent Baalke, general manager, said that he will be used by the Jaguars to start him as a standup pass rusher until he becomes more comfortable.
Walker, 6’5″ and 272 lbs, was a star at the scouting combined. His 4.51 second 40 yard dash was the fastest of all the front-seven athletes. He also posted a 35½-inch vertical leap and a 10-foot, 3-inch broad jump — numbers that helped him shoot up teams’ draft boards.