Jaguars swoop in at 11th hour, steal Arik Armstead from Bills: Contract details, grade

After being selected 17th overall by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2015 NFL Draft, Arik Armstead wound up spending nearly a decade in the Bay Area. He played in over 100 games, recorded over 300 tackles, and racked up over 30 sacks. He was a linchpin in their defense.

Despite Armstead being a Niners legend and team leader, the organization asked him to take a pay cut ahead of free agency. Armstead refused, and the team wound up releasing him into free agency where several interested suitors would be interested.

The Athletic's Diana Russini reported that the Texans, Titans, and Buffalo Bills were three teams involved in the Armstead chase, but the Jacksonville Jaguars, a team that wasn't seen as in the running, swooped in and signed him to a big deal.

Arik Armstead contract details, grade with Jaguars

Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz reported that Armstead inked a three-year deal to head to Duval County worth $51 million. It's unclear as of now how much of it is guaranteed, but it's safe to assume a large portion of it is.

By adding Armstead, the Jaguars add another stout defensive lineman to an already-loaded defensive line. The Jaguars already have the NFL's leading sack duo from last season in Josh Allen and Travon Walker who combined for 27.5 sacks and now add Armstead to the mix. Should be tough to stop.

The 30-year-old only played 12 games but still wound up recording five sacks, four tackles for loss, and 13 QB hits. He had a productive statistical year even with the missed time in the regular season, and was an impactful playoff performer as well.

The Jaguars upgraded their defensive line in a big way by adding the battle-tested Armstead but did not get him for cheap. Giving a 30-year-old three years is a pretty big risk too, especially with that deal coming one season after he missed five games with injury. Nice add, but the cost was a bit rich.

Grade: B