As the Jacksonville Jaguars have climbed their way out of the muck to become a young AFC defensive powerhouse, perhaps the most surprising part of their rise is that it happened without pass rusher Dante Fowler turning into the player they imagined when they took him third overall in the 2015 NFL Draft. 

Fowler, who missed his entire rookie season due to a torn ACL, has notched 12 sacks over the past two seasons, including eight last season. But improvement wasn't enough for the Jaguars to commit to him for the 2019 season. Just before Wednesday's deadline, the Jaguars declined his fifth-year option.

In a statement, executive vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin said that while they're pleased with Fowler's progress, they want him to earn a new long-term contract during the coming season.

We do like Dante and we feel that he's on the verge of having a great season, but we did not pick up the fifth-year option at this time. He is making good progress and we like how he practices and how he plays, as he did in the AFC Championship game, and we want him to have a great season and earn a new long-term contract with us this year.

As Coughlin alluded to in his statement, it's not like Fowler's been a bad player. In what was essentially his rookie season in 2016, Fowler notched four sacks and five passes defended as a rotation player. In 2017, Fowler's sack total doubled. During their narrow loss to the Patriots in the AFC title game, Fowler brought down Tom Brady for two sacks. 

But that noticeable improvement wasn't enough for the Jaguars to justify picking up a fifth-year option that would've been worth $14.2 million (guaranteed for injury). It probably didn't help Fowler that the Jaguars have a whole host of pass rushers on their roster, like fellow defensive ends Yannick Ngakoue and Calais Campbell, both of whom outproduced Fowler a year ago. The Jaguars have invested a ton of money and draft capital into their defense over the past few seasons, which makes it difficult for them to commit that much money to Fowler.

So, that means 2018 is Fowler's contract season. If he plays well, someone -- maybe not the Jaguars, who will have other defensive stars to pay -- will give him the contract he desires. Not only is he only 23 years old, he also appears to be improving after the disastrous and unlucky start to his career.