The Jacksonville Jaguars get involved in free agency after snagging an offensive lineman to help protect Trevor Lawrence. The lineman in question comes from the Baltimore Ravens, where he served as a starter to protect Lamar Jackson up front.
On Monday, it was announced that the Jaguars reached an agreement with offensive lineman Patrick Mekari, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The 27-year-old former Raven is set to sign a three-year $37.5 million contract with $20 million guaranteed.
“Source: Jaguars reached agreement with former Ravens OL Patrick Mekari.”
Mekari is an incredibly diverse lineman, as he played all five positions for the Ravens during his six seasons with the franchise. He mainly served as a right tackle, however, he played as a starter at each position in five or more games except for right guard.
The newly acquired Jaguar played well for the Ravens last season. He played 998 offensive snaps and only allowed one sack. However, he drew 14 penalties, which was tied for the most in the league. Jacksonville will want to clean up Mekari’s penalty issues if they hope to get the most out of him.
The Jaguars allowed 32 sacks last season, which tied them for seventh least in the league with the Indianapolis Colts. Jacksonville adds a solid player to the offensive line in the hopes of maintaining success up front to protect Lawrence.
Ultimately, the franchise is retooling the team to fit new head coach Liam Coen’s scheme. Coen comes in as the replacement for Doug Pederson, as the Jaguars finished the 2024 campaign with a 4-13 record. Jacksonville also found a new general manager in James Gladstone, who replaced Trent Baalke.
The front office will have to find a new weapon for Lawrence as well, after trading Christian Kirk to the Houston Texans. They also moved on from star tight end Evan Engram after releasing him from the roster. At the very least, Brian Thomas Jr. looked like a franchise wideout during his rookie season, giving the Jagaurs a pillar to build around for the offense.
This franchise has a chance to make more key additions this offseason, especially in the 2025 NFL Draft. They enter the draft owning the No. 5 pick overall, which puts them in range to select a marquee player to help right away.
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