“There are guys you want here…”

JACKSONVILLE – The Jaguars’ offseason objective is clear.

“We want to keep those core guys together,” Head Coach Doug Pederson said.

But Pederson on Monday said there’s a reality to retaining the core of a team that won six consecutive games to win the 2022 AFC South title and advance to the divisional playoffs, where the Jaguars lost to the Kansas City Chiefs this past Saturday.

“The nature of our business is you can’t keep them all,” he said.

The Jaguars enter the 2023 offseason with the following players scheduled to become unrestricted free agents at the start of the ’23 League Year:

• Tight end Evan Engram
• Right tackle Jawaan Taylor
• Defensive lineman Arden Key
• Defensive lineman Dawuane Smoot
• Wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr.
• Tight end Chris Manhertz
• Tight end Dan Arnold
• Safety Andrew Wingard
• Quarterback C.J. Beathard
• Defensive lineman Adam Gotsis
• Cornerback Tre Herndon
• Defensive lineman Corey Peters

“Obviously there are guys you want here,” Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence said. “Part of what we did this year, a huge part, is the people that we had and the mindset we built and just the tight-knit group we had. That’s what it’s about.

“You have guys that know each other, that have played together, that are on the same page. You want to do everything you can to keep all the guys you can and the foundation that you have. That’s a big part of those guys being here.”

Engram, who signed as an unrestricted free agent from the New York Giants last offseason, reiterated on Monday what he has said multiple times throughout the season – that he wants to return to Jacksonville in 2023 and beyond.

“Conversations will get there,” said Engram, who caught 73 passes for 766 yards and four touchdowns in 2022. “I think everything will take care of itself in that aspect. Like I said before: It’s definitely a place where I want to be, where I want to continue my career and be a part of what’s being built.”