Details of Malik Jackson’s Jaguars contract revealed

The Denver Broncos will lose Malik Jackson to free agency, but you may be surprised at how much the Jacksonville Jaguars will pay him.

Free-agent defensive end Malik Jackson has cashed in on his contribution to the Denver Broncos‘ Super Bowl 50 win by signing a hefty contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars.  NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport revealed how much Jackson will be making with the Jaguars.

This is not the first time the Jaguars have snagged a free agent away from the Broncos, as they signed tight end Julius Thomas last offseason. The Broncos defense played a vital role in their championship, and Jackson scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery to set the tone for the game. It remains to be seen how Jackson will perform outside of a historically dominant defense, but he proved to be a relatively solid pass rusher in his time with the Broncos.

Jackson came up with five sacks in his final year in Denver, but it will be difficult for him to justify being paid $15 million per year with $42 million guaranteed when he was not even close to being the best player in the Broncos defense. The Jaguars defense will need him to play like he is, though, because that unit needs to improve quickly if they want to become serious playoff contenders.

While their offense made great strides with the rise of quarterback Blake Bortles and wide receiver Allen Robinson, the Jaguars will have to prove that their defense is ready to match wits with opposing offenses. Jackson earning his big money would be a good start.