Josh Pederson, a tight end who is the son of Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson, appears set to sign with the Jaguars.
The 25-year-old Pederson played last season for the USFL’s Houston Gamblers, and the Gamblers announced that they have released Pederson from his contract because he is going to sign with an NFL team.
The Gamblers didn’t say which team, but Josh Pederson liked a tweet indicating he is signing with the Jaguars.
Josh Pederson has previously spent time with the 49ers, Saints and Chiefs, but he has never played in an NFL regular season game. For the Gamblers this year, Pederson was second on the team with 24 receptions for 325 yards.
Daytona International Speedway is serious about being the Jaguars home-away-from-home while the team’s home stadium in Jacksonville is undergoing renovations.
Speedway president Frank Kelleher said Daytona has studied the framework and structure of what a potential football setup would look like.
“Myself personally and our team, we’ve spent some time in Jacksonville meeting with their leadership and a variety of follow-up phone calls with architects and engineers and design firms, you know, really looking at our property, our footprint and understanding what is available ,” Kelleher said, via Justin Barney of News4Jax.
Last month, Jaguars team president Mark Lamping called playing at Daytona International Speedway “an interesting solution .”
The proposed upgrades to TIAA Bank Field could take up to 30 months, which would necessitate the Jaguars playing their home games elsewhere for the 2026 and 2027 seasons. First, Jacksonville and the city have to come to agreement on the project, which would require $1 billion in taxpayer money.
Daytona International Speedway has hosted football games previously, including a high school game in 1959 and a college game in 1974. Last year, Daytona hosted the Soccer Fest, which put a pitch in the area between the racing track and the infield. The Speedway also has served as host to the major musical festival, “Welcome to Rockville.”
“So, it’s kind of gone from, ‘Yeah, I think we can do non-stick and ball sports at Daytona,’ to ‘Here’s images of what we pulled off and it was a world-class event on a world-class pitch,’” Kelleher said. “So, we absolutely have the acreage and I feel like we offer things that other venues don’t.”
The University of Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and Orlando’s Camping World Stadium are other potential hosts for the Jaguars. But UF just announced $400 million in upgrades to its stadium, and Florida Citrus Sports is looking for $800 million in renovations to its stadium.
Jacksonville offers UNF’s Hodges Stadium, 121 Financial Ballpark and potentially JAXUSL’s still to be built soccer facility, but none is NFL-ready.
Thus, Daytona, which is 89 miles from Jacksonville, might offer the best alternative.
Kelleher called it a “real compelling story” to have the Jaguars play in a speedway that seats over 100,000.
“Neither organization has any time to waste, and it’s a big situation for the Jags to solve. So again, we’re grateful to be in the consideration set,” Kelleher said. “And yes, I mean, the Jags having a conversation with a football stadium, you know, is less wonky, less work than talking with a 2.5-highbank mile race track. However, with that comes a lot of unique opportunities and unique storylines, that, again, from an acreage standpoint and visibility standpoint, we can satisfy and solve and if not bring more than the others can bring.”
In 2021, receiver Calvin Ridley instantly became known more for what he did off the field than for anything he had ever done on it. Now that he’s back after a full-year (and then some) gambling suspension, Ridley can get back to doing what he’d been doing before his career became derailed.
As new Jaguars teammate Jamal Agnew sees it, Ridley will be potentially derailing the careers of defensive backs.
“Just the way he moves, you can see,” Agnew recently told talkSPORT, via NFL.com. “His route running, he can run, catch anything you throw to him, he’s just different, man. You just watch him out there, he’s a mismatch nightmare. In my opinion, I don’t think anybody can guard him in the league.”
Ridley was already on that path after three full NFL seasons. A first-round pick from Alabama, Ridley had 821 yards in 2018 and 866 yards in 2019, as the second fiddle to Julio Jones. In 2020, with Jones missing seven games, Ridley had a breakout season, generating 1,374 yards in 15 games.
Now that he’s back and still only 28 years old, Ridley could soon pick up where he left off. With receiver Christian Kirk and tight end Evan Engram attracting attention from opposing defenses and with Trevor Lawrence emerging as a franchise quarterback, Ridley’s gambling suspension might ultimately become an unfortunate (and perhaps largely forgotten) donut hole in a great career.
Cam Robinson’s four-game suspension is expensive. It will cost him $3.55 million in base salary and voids the guaranteed money left on his contract, and the Jaguars lose their left tackle for the start of the season.
The NFL suspended Robinson for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy.
He apologized in a statement Thursday.
“As a veteran leader in the locker room, I always want to set a good example and my actions in this instance are not a reflection of that goal,” Robinson said. “I apologize to the fans, my coaches and most importantly by teammates. It hurts me that I cannot be out there with my brothers at the start of the regular season. I will attack training camp the same way I have for the last six seasons to make sure I am ready both mentally and physically.”
First-round draft pick Anton Harrison likely walks into the starting lineup in Robinson’s absence. Robinson has started 58 of a possible 66 games over the past four seasons.
The Jaguars’ first four games are against the Colts, Chiefs, Texans and Falcons.
“We are aware of the four-game suspension incurred today by OL Cam Robinson,” the Jaguars said in a statement. “While we certainly respect the NFL’s ruling and are disappointed with this development, we will support Cam as he works his way through the suspension. We are confident that Cam and our team will rise above this challenge as we collectively move forward.”
We’ve known for some time that Jaguars left tackle Cam Robinson would serve a suspension during the 2023 season and word on the length of that ban came on Thursday.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Robinson has received a four-game suspension from the league. Robinson is being suspended for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy.
The Jaguars open the season with a road game against the Colts, home dates with the Chiefs and Texans, and a Week Four trip to London to face the Falcons. Robinson will be eligible to return for the Week Five game against the Bills, which will also take place in England.
Robinson signed a three-year deal with the Jaguars in 2022 and his suspension allows the Jags to void any guaranteed money that he’s still due under the terms of the pact. The 2017 second-round pick has started all 75 games he’s played in Jacksonville, but he missed the final five games — three in the regular season and two in the playoffs — of last season with a knee injury.
The Jaguars selected Anton Harrison in the first round this year and the rookie could be the choice to replace Robinson at the start of the year. If Harrison proves to be a quick study, his stay could be even longer.