Urban Meyer is wearing quite the smile at the moment, as the newly hired head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars navigates his way through his first NFL free agency. He's finding his sea legs quickly, as evidenced in what he and the club were able to achieve at cornerback, stealing away Shaquill Griffin from the Seattle Seahawks. Griffin and the Jaguars have agreed to terms on a three-year deal worth $40 million that includes $29 million guaranteed, per CBS Sports NFL insider Jason La Canfora, with the contract also featuring upwards of $5 million in incentives.
It's quite the coup by the Jaguars, one that directly cut the legs off of the Seahawks' efforts at re-signing Griffin. Head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider reportedly made a strong push to get Griffin back in uniform, after passing on franchise tagging him ahead of the NFL deadline on March 9.
The gambit didn't pay off though, as allowing him to test the free agency waters will now see he depart the Pacific Northwest and head home to the warm shores of Florida.
The St. Petersburg, Florida, native made a name for himself at the University of Central Florida before becoming a third-round pick of the Seahawks in 2017, where he's played ever since. Griffin not only solidified himself as a starter in the NFL, but a good one, going on to earn Pro Bowl honors in 2019. And despite battling an injury that cost him four regular-season games in 2020, Griffin reeled in a career-high three interceptions, 12 pass deflections and 63 combined tackles.
He fielded interest from several teams to begin the legal tampering period, but none supposedly as passionate as what the Seahawks were tossing his way. That is, of course, until the Jaguars made him an offer he couldn't refuse.
