The Jacksonville Jaguars entered the conversation Thursday as a surprise contender to sign the veteran defensive lineman Arik Armstead.
At the last hour, Jacksonville swooped in to agree to terms with Arik Armstead. Armstead appeared in two Super Bowls with the 49ers, and
Arik was officially cut by the 49ers yesterday. He was asked to take a pay cut going into 2024, but his release was announced when he and the 49ers disagreed.
Arik Armstead played all nine seasons of his NFL Career with the San Francisco 49ers, where he posted 33.5 career sacks.
The deal is said to be for three years worth $51 million with Jacksonville
A dark horse emerges: The #Jaguars are closing in on a deal to add a huge presence to their defense, as they are set to sign former #49ers DT Arik Armstead, sources say. pic.twitter.com/YsnBllY6NJ
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 14, 2024
Armstead heads to Jacksonville Jaguars
According to Gridiron Heroics, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Sunday that, per a source, Arik Armstead has declined a pay cut and will be released by the 49ers. Armstead was owed $17.4 million in 2024.
Arik Armstead has played a vital role for the San Francisco 49ers over the past nine seasons. He is coming off a 5-sack season from his interior defensive line spot. As Jordan mentioned, he was stellar in Super Bowl 58 with six tackles and one sack.
Armstead now heads to Jacksonville, where he will hopefully lead the Jaguars’ defense to a more consistent style of play. Jacksonville’s new defensive coordinator, Ryan Nielsen, spoke about the style of play he wants his defense to have.
“We want to be attacking and aggressive in everything we do. How we fit the run, how we attack blocks, how we play in coverage, we want to be a forward, leaning, forward running, going forward defense,” said Nielsen.
He added, “Those are the two things we want to stress about every day.”
Confusion on Signing
Dianna Russini initially reported the deal that Armstead was heading to the Buffalo Bills, which conflicted with Ian Rapoport’s tweet stating Armstead was heading to the Jaguars. Dianna later retracted and corrected the mistake.
My mistake, my source with the Bills who was in on Arik Armstead said done deal. Not with Buffalo.
Deal is done with the Jaguars.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) March 14, 2024
Armstead is a colossal presence with much-needed experience for the Jaguars defense. Nielsen and head coach Doug Pederson were lucky to swipe him from the Bills at the last hour.
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