The Jaguars put offensive lineman Luke Joeckel on injured reserve earlier this week, but he won’t be returning this year, considering the scope of the injury he suffered last week in London.
The Jaguars announced that the former No. 2 overall pick underwent surgery yesterday to repair the knee injury suffered last week.
Specifically, the team said he had “a successful ACL reconstruction, MCL repair and lateral meniscus repair.”
The injury is obviously unfortunate for Joeckel, but his contract situation makes it even more costly. The Jaguars declined to pick up the $11.9 million fifth-year option on his rookie contract this offseason, meaning he’ll be an unrestricted free agent coming off a major knee injury next year.
The Jaguars moved him inside to left guard after signing Kelvin Beachum, further devaluing the stock of a guy once viewed a cornerstone tackle. He’ll likely have to sign a short-term prove-it deal with someone next year, and the timing of the injury makes it unclear whether he’d be ready for the start of training camp.