Jaguars' Travis Etienne gets $14.1 million contract update from ESPN

After a season as champions of the AFC South Division, the Jacksonville Jaguars are heading into a pivotal offseason.

In a lot of ways, they already made the leap under first-year head coach Liam Coen. Now it's time to prove they weren't just a one-hit wonder.

One key piece of the puzzle will be the talented running back, Travis Etienne. He's an impending free agent, and in a world where RBs don't often get paid the way they feel they deserve, his contract future could be tricky.

The first piece of insight comes from ESPN's Michael DiRocco in a new article on Wednesday where he breaks down what this payday could look like.

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He starts by throwing out the idea of giving Etienne the franchise tag, which would keep him for a year and essentially kick the can on a longer-term decision down the road.

The franchise tag for a RB this offseason, per DiRocco, is estimated at $14.1 million.

If the Jags don't want to do that, then comes the comparison game.

"The Rams' Kyren Williams signed a contract in August that pays him $11 million annually, so it might take more than $10 million annually to get Etienne to return," DiRocco writes.

There's certainly a case to be made for keeping Etienne around.

"The Jaguars must decide if that's too much for a player who has had three 1,000-yard seasons in the past four years, and someone head coach Liam Coen praised for his fit and versatility in his offense," DiRocco writes.

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The Jaguars' other two rotational RBs at the end of the season were both rookies, Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen. Both will be around for a while on cheap contracts, but the Jags would have to do an honest assessment on whether they're ready to lead the backfield or not.

How the Jaguars feel about the two younger backs could end up determining what they decide to do with Etienne.

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