The Jaguars bet on continuity over uncertainty, locking up left tackle Cole Van Lanen after strong, but limited, evidence that he can be Trevor Lawrence’s blindside protector of the future.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have reportedly fortified Trevor Lawrence’s blindside for the next three seasons, according to NFL insider Adam Schefter.
Left tackle and part-time swiss-army knife, Cole Van Lanen (27) has appeared in 15 games for the 2025 Jaguars, making nine starts across multiple positions along the offensive line. Van Lanen has logged meaningful snaps at both guard and tackle spots this season. Originally acquired in a 2022 trade with Green Bay for a seventh-round pick by then–general manager Trent Baalke.
Without an extension, Van Lanen was set to become an unrestricted free agent this March. Instead, Jacksonville locked him up early, bumping his annual salary from just over $3 million per year to $17 million. That $17 million average annual value places Van Lanen at 28th among all offensive tackles and 16th among left tackles specifically, almost perfectly league average for the position.
Tale of the tape
On the field, Van Lanen’s production has seemed to justify the investment. Per Pro Football Focus, he has allowed just nine total pressures and zero sacks on 166 pass-blocking snaps at left tackle this season, surrendering pressure on only 5.4% of his reps. PFF currently grades him as the 15th-ranked offensive tackle overall (left or right) with an 81.0 rating, ranking him 20th in pass protection and 18th in run blocking. ESPN Analytics is even higher on his run game impact, placing him 10th among all offensive tackles in run block win rate.
As BCC’s Doug Farrar noted in mid-December ago:
Is it a coincidence that Van Lanen’s games at left tackle have aligned with a three-game stretch in which Trevor Lawrence has completed 53 of 89 passes for nine touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 123.0? Well, given that Little had allowed nine sacks and 29 total pressures in 472 pass-blocking reps, and Van Lanen has allowed no sacks and three total pressures in 161 pass-blocking reps at left tackle, it probably helps.
According to ESPN’s Mike DiRocco, the Jaguars reportedly internally discussed using the franchise tag on Van Lanen before ultimately deciding against it, as the projected tag number would have landed around $27 million per year. Instead, Jacksonville chose to get a long-term deal done ahead of free agency. With extensions now finalized for two players with expiring contracts—wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (three years, $60 million, $40 million guaranteed) and left tackle Cole Van Lanen—the Jaguars have handled key business early. That leaves the franchise tag available for other potential candidates, possibly including running back Travis Etienne. The RB franchise tag is projected at roughly $13.6 million, and considering the team already handed Dyami Brown a one-year, $10 million free-agent deal this offseason, paying a few million more to retain Etienne feels like a relatively easy decision if a long-term agreement can’t be reached.
Was the extension a risk?
Many fans have, justifiably, questioned whether this extension carries some risk. And depending on your tolerance level, the answer is yes. Three starts in four seasons before 2025 and 12 career starts in five seasons might create some level of uncertainty. Even in 2025, Van Lanen has started just four games at left tackle under this regime before signing the extension, plus five additional starts at other offensive line positions. He’s also faced a relatively limited slate of truly dominant edge rushers, with Denver’s Nik Bonitto standing out as the most notable challenge. That context complicates the evaluation of his body of work. Is Van Lanen excelling because his strengths have matched up well against the opponents he’s faced so far? Or is this performance sustainable against a broader range of elite power rushers? Has he simply not encountered the kind of player who could expose potential weaknesses in his game?
That said, this coaching staff has worked with Van Lanen for an entire offseason and season and clearly believes in him enough to guarantee $32.5 million and keep him under contract through 2026. And while it’s fair to acknowledge the small sample size, teams routinely hand out three and four-year contracts in free agency to players they’ve never coached, practiced with, or evaluated within their own system on tape. Compared to that, this deal may actually be *less* risky than many outside free-agent additions (especially when you remember recent misses like the Dyami Brown signing).
Average Left Tackle Money
Financially, the known details of the deal align with the market. Van Lanen’s contract sits at average left tackle money at the time of signing and will naturally slide down the positional rankings as the cap continues to rise. It’s also only a modest increase over Walker Little’s 2024 deal, once accounting for the roughly 8.5 percent salary cap jump in 2025. Put another way: if someone were signed today to Walker Little’s exact 2024 contract, it would look closer to a three-year, $44 million extension with around $30 million guaranteed.
The Jury Remains Out
While the verdict of this extension may sit in limbo for some time, let’s remember, just because Van Lanen originally participated on a $3 million salary does not make him a $3 million player. We’ve seen this before. Jordan Lewis outplayed his deal in Dallas and earned market value upon arriving in Jacksonville. Meanwhile, Cowboys fans often cry on social media about how much they should have paid him. Players outperform their contracts all the time, and when they do, teams have to pay up. If Van Lanen is truly the player this staff believes he is, then the risk here is far lower than the four-game audition narrative suggests.
Jacksonville has a few remaining priority free agents, who may jump to the top of the list as the next extension candidates following Van-Lanen’s deal:
- LB Devin Lloyd
- RB Travis Etienne
- LB Dennis Gardeck
- CB Montaric Brown
What are your thoughts on the reported extension, solidifying Lawrence’s blindside, BigCatCountry? Too early or smart timing for a buy-low opportunity? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Category: General Sports
