Story by
Jaguars OL Walker Little excited to remain in Jacksonville after 'surprise' extension
- Story by
- Jaguars OL Walker Little excited to remain in Jacksonville after 'surprise' extension
It was a happy surprise for Jacksonville Jaguars left tackle Walker Little on Sunday ahead of the team's game against the Houston Texans .
The fourth-year tackle signed a reported three-year, $45 million contract extension that includes $26 million guaranteed Sunday morning. That locks Little in through the 2027 season and solidifies his position as Trevor Lawrence 's blind-side protector.
Advertisement
WALKER LITTLE EXTENSION: Jacksonville Jaguars, Walker Little agree to contract extension. See the salary details
"Excited for Walker. It's a great opportunity for him. I think it just shows the commitment the organization has and the type of player that he is to really get him locked up," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said after the game Sunday.
"I think for him too it's a little peace of mind knowing he'll be here for the long haul. Excited for him and his family. It's a great opportunity, great for the organization obviously and our team, and excited for him."
Little was drafted by the Jaguars in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft and played as the team's swing tackle (in addition to some guard) through much of his four-year career before being installed as the permanent starting left tackle after the team traded Cam Robinson to the Minnesota Vikings ahead of the trade deadline.
Advertisement
According to Pro Football Focus via Jaguars reporter John Shipley , since stepping into the starting lineup in Week 8, PFF credited Little with seven pressures and a 97.7 pass-protection efficiency rate. He is among the top 15 tackles in that span in both categories.
Walker Little gives contract extension timeline, excited for future with Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars offensive lineman Walker Little (72) looks on during day 7 of the Jaguars Training Camp Sunday, July 31, 2022 at the Knight Sports Complex at Episcopal School of Jacksonville. Today marked the first practice in full pads.
Little did not anticipate signing a contract extension this early. Set to become an unrestricted free agent after the season, Little assumed he would sign a deal after the season at some point.
Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke has had a public, long-standing philosophy of not signing players to extensions midseason to avoid distractions. He made an exception with Little, who was pushed into the fire in the middle of the year.
Advertisement
"Super excited about it. I love Jacksonville, I love this team, love the group of guys, all the people I get to come to work with every day. Really love this city, so always wanted to stay here," Little said Monday when asked about the extension. "Obviously, going into a contract year this year, didn't know if it would happen or not, but I was really glad we were able to work something out and I'm gonna be able to be here for a few more years."
Little said the team and his representation began talks about his contract extension during the bye week.
"Over the bye weekend into last week, things just progressed and we were able to get a deal done kind of by the end of the day Saturday, and was able to sign before the game last yesterday," Little added.
Little said he's been able to get into a groove since being solidified as the team's starting left tackle.
Advertisement
"It's been nice to be able to start consecutive games in a row. I feel like I've been able to steadily play a little better each game and just getting into a groove. It's been really nice," he said.
Little played exceptionally well on Sunday against the Texans. According to PFF, he allowed just one pressure, no hits and no sacks. The Texans entered the game with the best sack duo in the league — Will Anderson (9.5 sacks) and Danielle Hunter (10.5 sacks) — and they were blanketed, with zero sacks through the game.
Though he played well hours after signing the extension, Little said that wasn't necessarily why he played well. Once the game started, he didn't think about the deal.
"I wanted to play well in the game regardless of the deal or not. Obviously, I didn't really know that was going to be a piece of that story until I was able to sign it Sunday morning. so, I was just prepared to play in the game and go out and try to play well," Little said.
Advertisement
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 or on Bluesky @ Demetrius .
If you're a subscriber, thank you. If not, please consider becoming a subscriber to support local journalism in Northeast Florida .
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars' Walker Little breaks down contract extension
