Building on greatness: Jaguars' Travon Walker's evolution alongside Josh Allen

Travon Walker did not want to rest for a minute longer last Wednesday.

In anticipation of next season, Walker has been working out at the Exos Sports Performance Center in Frisco, Texas. He's working to sharpen his craft just as he did during his pre-draft process and into his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Even though Walker is coming off of a 10-sack season, he still feels he has more to do.

"For me, mainly going back out there to Texas to train at Exos puts me back in that mindstate of going into the league. I still have a chip on my shoulder, I'm nowhere near where I want to be," Walker told the Times-Union last week via a phone interview.

Walker has dealt with plenty of criticism throughout his time in Jacksonville. After being selected with the first-overall pick, his rookie season left some to be desired for some onlookers. He tallied just 3.5 sacks. Compared to the second-overall pick, Lions defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson's 9.5-sack season... yeah, there was some work to be done in their eyes.

The work paid off, paying major dividends to Jacksonville's defense, especially down the final stretch of the year. Walker tallied five sacks in the final four games of the year.

There wasn't a special sauce or anything fancy.

He, quite simply, won. From all over the field.

"I feel like last year I was playing a lot faster, I wasn't thinking as much. Just doing what I do best," Walker said. "There's no call that a [defensive coordinator] could call to put me in a position to make plays. It's just beat the man in front of me and continue to make plays."

Walker put together a respectable season, tallying 10 sacks, 52 total tackles, 19 quarterback hits and two pass breakups. Still, he's striving for more.

Walker did not want to rest for a minute longer on Wednesday, and it wasn't just because he was looking to break a sweat.

Last week, the Jaguars rewarded Walker's running mate, Josh Allen, with a five-year, $150 million contract.

Money well-deserved: Jaguars, OLB Josh Allen agree to franchise-record 5-year, $150 million contract extension

That'll wake anyone up.

'It meant a lot to me': Travon Walker draws inspiration from Allen's success

Walker was scheduled to take a rest day off of his intense workout regime in Texas. That changed quickly after it was reported that Allen would be staying in Jacksonville for quite a while longer.

"Travon called me and he said he had the day off but he went to go workout because that motivated him, seeing what I got motivated him," Allen said shortly after signing a deal that'll guarantee him upwards of $88 million.

Allen's hard work paid off. After three straight seasons with fewer than 10 sacks, the quarterbacks finally began to fall after they'd narrowly escaped Allen's grasp in years prior.

Allen finished the year with 17.5 sacks, earning an initial-roster Pro Bowl nod and his new, healthy contract from Jacksonville.

Walker said it's easy to draw some motivation from Allen getting rewarded. Shoot, they essentially play the same position, he said.

"Seeing someone who is very identical to me, working toward the same goal, we're doing the same workouts, our schedule's the same. Him being able to put himself in that position, it really meant a lot to me because it seems like everything's come full circle and I feel that's motivation itself," Walker said, adding that it's not necessarily about the money itself.

"He's somewhere where he's happy, he's not being put out to somewhere else, the organization is taking care of him," said Walker. "I'm proud of him and obviously [it] motivated me just to continue following in his footsteps. Obviously, he's doing something right."

Walker won't be the only player in the Jaguars' locker room noticing the team's investment in Allen's hard work, either. It means a lot, Walker said.

"[It] shows you that all the hard work and dedication don't go unnoticed," said Walker.

"They always say you're under a microscope in this game that we play so everything that [Allen] did leading up to [his contract extension] didn't go unnoticed. For the franchise, the organization to [do] that, it really means a lot to a lot of the other guys that obviously want to continue the teaching and do the same thing and be consistent in what they're doing to help the team grow and help themselves grow."

Allen's hard work didn't go unnoticed by the Jaguars nor has it gone unnoticed by Walker, who has seen it up close.

From the minute Walker stepped foot into the Jaguars' locker room in 2022, Allen took him under his wing. Like a little brother, said Walker.

"Some players try to withhold information, trying to get into their next contract or whatever to better themselves, but he's never been that type, he's always been one of those guys, an open book. Whatever he's doing, he wanted me to be right there with him and I feel like that just helped the chemistry between me and him on the field," said Walker.

"Besides on-the-field stuff, he's just one of those guys I like to be around, a family guy, that's how I am. We're wired the same."

Allen's work ethic rubs off on other players.

"It's all paying off for him. He's the first one on the field before practice, doing a little extra. He gets me to come out there with him. Seeing him be the first on the field, one of the last people to leave the facility at night, it just all goes to show why he got what he just got," said Walker.

'One of those years': Travon Walker excited for growth under Ryan Nielsen

Walker's inspiration drawn from Allen isn't something new. It's just another part of his growth that's happened over the last two seasons.

Though he had a nice season last year, he's not satisfied.

"I feel like I took some major steps, but it's still a lot to come. I'm obviously continuously learning. I want to be a student of the game of football. I love just the mindset of playing the game of football. I want to know every little detail, any little type of detail that I can correct. There's always room for improvement," Walker said.

Walker's ascension to the No. 1 spot in the NFL Draft didn't come by accident. He was a dominant player at Georgia during his time there. There was a learning curve in the NFL, though, and now the punishing defender is finally getting his feet settled.

Even with defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen joining the team, Walker said he's going back to the drawing board, building off of what he has learned since entering the league in 2022.

"I'm excited. From all the guys that he's had and coached, I've talked with a lot of those guys, [including] [New Orleans Saints defensive lineman] Cam [Jordan]," said Walker.

"Even though I haven't been in Jacksonville, I've been on the phone with [Nielsen]. I can tell that he's buying into me as well, trying to learn me as a player. Things that I like, things that I don't like. I feel like that type of relationship you have with a [defensive coordinator], I feel like that can go a long way with the whole defense in general."

Though much of the team's defensive coaching staff will be different, outside linebackers coach Bill Shuey was retained and has been instrumental in Walker's development over the last two seasons.

"I'm excited to see him returning," Walker said of Shuey. "Just for the simple fact that he's one of those guys that's a very understanding guy. He knows every day isn't gonna be perfect. Seeing him grow and flourish as an outside linebackers coach, because it was a little new to him [in that scheme], [it's like] we're growing together."

There's a long time until the start of the 2024 season for Walker and the Jaguars, but it's clear that through inspiration, growth, knowledge, self-motivation and adaptability, Walker is headed for much greener pastures in his future.

"I just feel like this season is one of those years. I'm a lot more comfortable playing in the NFL. There's not much thought going into my pre-snap, like what am I supposed to be doing on this play? I understand the game of football. It's only so many things that, as an outside linebacker, defensive end, whatever you want to say, can do," Walker said.

"So, with that, I just feel like the sky's the limit. Obviously, I want to top everything I did last year. I personally just want to continuously steadily improve, so just looking for improvement in every area from flexibilities to numbers to whatever."

Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X,  formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars' Travon Walker gets motivation boost from Josh Allen contract