REV’S NOTE: Longtime commenter and multi-time Komment of the Week/Banner Quote winner LemonJello bravely volunteered to brave the murky-stadium-pool-water of Northern Florida to bring us the following Team Preview. Please enjoy

DUUUUUUVVVAAAAAAALLLLLLLL!!!!!

Recap of Last Season: 9-8, adequate (barely) for 2nd place in the AFC South (4-2 in division, 6-6 in conference). Missed the Playoffs by losing to the Titans in the last game of the season.

Well, Other LemonJello, how did last season sit with you?

via GIPHY

Jags Fan Reacts Reasonably

The AFC South continued its tradition of putridity and managed to send zero real teams to the playoffs for the 2023-2024 season. Jacksonville did manage to win both games in their future UK home to the delight of tens, nay, dozens of their fans “across the pond.” A late season four game losing streak and injuries to both QB Lawrence and WR Kirk against the Bengals did them no favors, leaving the Jaguars in a Sisyphean sort of purgatory only Jeff Fisher would call home.

I don’t know what to make of this team – one season they’re making strides to being consistent contenders for a playoff berth, the next it looks like they were just thrown together an hour before kickoff and have to have the rules explained to them during timeouts.

Prison Girlfriend got himself a five year extension, locking him in for the next seven years for $142 million in guaranteed money ($275M total), so he’s the franchise QB for the foreseeable future.

RB Travis Etienne was also extended his 5th year option at $6.1M. The OL and DL saw many veterans re-signed, so there should be some stability there. TE Engram is reliable and gives Lawrence an intermediate option.

The WR corps and defensive secondary will have to do better if there’s to be any real success this season.

Or, it could all blow up worse than a St Johns River meth lab.

2024 Draft:
WR, DT, CB, OT, DT, CB, RB, K, DE – no headline grabbing names here, but some added depth in postions of need for these Jaguras. Again, the OL, DL and secondary need the most help and the front office went out and addressed those needs.

2024 Free Agency:
Calvin Ridley gone to the Titans. Did not have the impact expected, and never really seemed to be a primary target for Lawrence. Nor did he make up for the mid season loss of Kirk. Buh-bye.

The addition of “legendary” former P*triots QB Mac Jones is a real “WTF” moment. Is he an upgrade over CJ Beathard?

No, I’m asking you all, because I just don’t see it. He’s not going to compete for the starting job, not with the big payout to Lawrence. His past performance doesn’t scream “can step in if Prison Girlfriend slips going for the soap.”

2024 Schedule:

Year 3 under Doug Pederson has the Jaguras trying to get back atop the AFC South and a return to the playoffs. This will be a tougher challenge than expected with the emergence of CJ Stroud and his *looks at notes* Nah, that’s not a real team, is it? The, uh, “Texans?” Sure. *wanking motion* Also, the Clots with a healthy Richardson may be feeling their oats and make a charge for the top spot in the division. The Tits without King Henry seem to be rebuilding, but I can’t count them out before the season begins.

Anyway.

2024 Season Prediction? 10-7 – incremental improvement and a return to the playoffs. The AFC still has some juggernauts in the form of the Ravens, Chiefs and Bills, and I don’t see a deep playoff run as a possibility, but as Andy Reid likes to say, “If you’re going to eat an elephant, you have to start somewhere.”

Oh, by the way, the Jags celebrate their 30th season this year and are bringing back the “Prowler” jersey based on their original 1995 design.