Kelvin Beachum to Jaguars: Latest Contract Details and Reaction | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, a

One of the best offensive linemen available on the open market is gone, as Kelvin Beachum officially signed an undisclosed contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Wednesday, the team announced. 

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Beachum's deal is a one-year, $4.5 million contract with a four-year option worth $40 million. Rapoport attributed the unique contract structure to questions about Beachum's knee after suffering a torn ACL that cost him the final 11 games of the 2015 season.

Beachum, 26, played his first four years with the Pittsburgh Steelers after being taken in the seventh round in 2012. He's started 39 games overall, most coming as the blindside protector for Ben Roethlisberger. 

“I feel extremely well,” Beachum said on SiriusXM Radio in March, per Dave Bryan of Steelers Depot. “I’m up and moving around, have started doing things that are football-orientated, which is a blessing. So I feel great, ready to see what God has for me in the next chapter of my life and just embracing it all right now.”

The Steelers opened free agency with both Beachum and guard Ramon Foster hitting the open market. They had attempted to lock in Beachum to a long-term deal before the 2015 season but were rebuffed. Beachum said of the negotiations:

It’s been ongoing. I think there’s interest from both sides but at the end of the day it starts to get down to the business aspect and you have to let business people do what business people do. I see it like this, it’s a win-win situation for me no matter how it goes. I’m a 26-year-old African American who is negotiating a multimillion dollar contract and for me, coming from where I come from, that’s a blessing within itself.

The Jaguars desperately need help on their offensive line. Blake Bortles was sacked an NFL-high 51 times in 2015 and has gone down 106 times in his two seasons. Bortles has stayed remarkably healthy despite the troubles protecting him, but it's unlikely to stay that way if the trend continues. Adding Beachum is a bit of an indictment on former No. 2 overall pick Luke Joeckel, who has struggled in three NFL seasons. 

When Beachum's on the field, he's established himself as a solid left tackle. He has drawn only six holding penalties in his entire career, and while he gave up a combined 15 sacks in 2013 and 2014, Roethlisberger's penchant for holding on to the ball is part of the problem. 

Bortles has taken a ton of sacks as well, but Beachum's numbers should improve. It's more a matter of how well he recovers from his injury that will make the difference in 2016. 

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