JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars and Marcell Dareus have agreed to a restructured contract that will keep the nose tackle with the team next season, a league source told ESPN’s Field Yates.
The deal clears $5 million in cap space for the Jaguars and lowers Dareus’ base salary from $8.335 million in 2019, per Yates’ sources. Dareus was scheduled to earn a $2 million roster bonus on March 15 but now gets a $5 million bonus immediately. The restructured contract runs through the 2020 season, eliminating the final year of the old contract.
Dareus has two sacks, 52 tackles (three for loss), and four quarterback hits in 24 games with the Jaguars. The Jaguars acquired Dareus in a trade with Buffalo on Oct. 27, 2017, to help shore up the team’s run defense, and he made an immediate impact.
The Jaguars were last in the NFL against the run in the eight weeks (seven games) before Dareus’ arrival at 138.6 yards per game allowed. They were eighth against the run (98.8 yards per game) over the nine weeks and nine games after the trade.
Dareus, the third overall pick in 2011 by Buffalo, has 37 sacks and 49 tackles for loss in nine seasons. He made the Pro Bowl in 2013 and 2014 and was a first-team All-Pro in 2014, when he had a career-high 10 sacks and 12 tackles for loss.