Top overall pick Travon Walker, Jaguars come to terms on $37 million rookie deal

Travon Walker has inked his rookie deal. The No. 1 overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft has agreed to a $37.4 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars after rising up draft boards in a wild sequence of events.

“#Jaguars and Travon Walker have agreed to terms on his contract, sources tell me and @RapSheet,” tweeted Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. “He’ll sign today.”

Additionally, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network added the terms of the agreement, and the former Georgia star is going to be a very happy man.

“$37.4M total with a $24.4M signing bonus,” tweeted Rapoport. “No. 1 in the books.”

Continuing, Spotrac provided the full details of Walker’s contract, including what he’ll be paid over the length of his first contract.

Travon Walker’s #1 overall pick rookie contract with the #Jaguars comes in at a fully guaranteed 4 years, $37.37M, including a $24.3M signing bonus, and cap hits of:

22: $6.8M
23: $8.5M
24: $10.2M
25: $11.9M
26: optionhttps://t.co/CNx6DZ6ZwH

— Spotrac (@spotrac) May 12, 2022

To the victor goes the spoils, and Walker certainly left the 2022 NFL Draft a winner. The former Bulldogs star showcased immense potential throughout his collegiate career, but he’ll be expected to take a giant leap forward as he enter the NFL with high expectations.

Nevertheless, Thursday is a day to celebrate for Travon Walker. He’s made it to a place most athletes can only dream of. Now, the next journey begins for the former Georgia star.

More on Travon Walker, Jacksonville Jaguars

Furthermore, the Jacksonville Jaguars are banking on Georgia product Travon Walker to come in and transform their pass rush. After playing a huge role throughout his time in Athens, the former versatile Bulldogs defensive end will be expected to do the same in his NFL career. That’s why the Jaguars took him off the board in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft on Thursday night, picking him No. 1 overall.

Last season, Walker broke out in a big way for the Bulldogs. The star pass rusher accumulated 37 total tackles and 6.0 sacks in a talented defense, helping lead Georgia to their first national championship in over 40 years.

Most importantly to the Jags, Walker has the potential to become one of the top defensive ends in the entire NFL. He showed flashes of dominance at Georgia, playing all over the defense in helping the Bulldogs accomplish their ultimate goal.

While the 6-foot-5 defensive end didn’t have the statistics other pass rushers amassed, his untapped athletic potential had franchises salivating. Throughout the NFL Draft process, Walker has steadily climbed up boards, elevating into one of the top prospects in the entire class.

A former five-star recruit in the class of 2019, Walker was the No. 4 defensive lineman in the nation per the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average. The former Georgia star played his high school football at Upson-Lee in Thomaston, Georgia, where he doubled as a basketball star. Walker was the fourth-ranked recruit coming out of Georgia in his class.