Jaguars pass rusher Josh Hines-Allen building legacy while embracing maternal roots with name change

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Josh Hines-Allen has plans for a new tattoo. He’s not sure where it’s going to go, but he knows what it’s going to say: “Hines.”

Hines-Allen, who already has “Allen” scripted across his right elbow, legally changed his last name this year to pay homage to the maternal side of his family. It matches the hyphenated last names of four older sisters, Myisha, LaTorri, Kyra and Ranese.

His family’s reaction?

“About time, really,” he said.

It was the latest move for Jacksonville’s two-time Pro Bowler pass rusher as he strives to create a legacy. He took huge strides toward that goal by setting a team record with 17½ sacks last year and then signing a five-year, $141.25 million contract that included $76.5 million fully guaranteed.

“For me, this year, it is very personal,” he said. “Last year, I figured out what works for me. Now I’m going to double up, get better from that and improve mentally, physically and emotionally and then I can grow from there.”

Hines-Allen spent much of the offseason working out in Arizona and then attended Von Miller’s pass-rushing summit in Las Vegas in late June. He’s now trying to catch up as training camp begins and is eager to find his place in new defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen’s 4-3 scheme.

“He’s a competitor. He really wants it,” Nielsen said. “He says all the right things. He wants to be a great player. He wants to have a great defense and a great team. You feel those things as he talks to the guys. Really excited about him.”

Hines-Allen is 10 sacks shy of tying Tony Brackens’ franchise record (55) and expects to be in the mix for the NFL’s defensive player of the year award. He also hopes to help the Jaguars make their first Super Bowl.

Any or all of those would certainly add to his legacy. Hoisting the Lombardi Trophy would help him match sister Myisha’s number of championships; she won the 2019 WNBA title with the Washington Mystics.

“My whole goal as an athlete is to beat my sister,” he said. “The football achievements are very cool and I love going home and looking at the trophies and seeing the work that I put in. But that doesn’t mean anything until I beat my sister.

“So when I say legacy, it’s deeper than what I do out here (on the football field). Coming from a competitive family — and my family is everything — my legacy is my family name.”

And that’s why he changed it.

He first batted around the idea two years ago but never made it happen. Reaching a new level of success in 2023 was the final push he needed to head to the courthouse.

“I’ve always resonated with Hines,” said Hines-Allen, who was born in Virginia, raised in New Jersey and attended high school in Alabama before returning to Montclair (N.J.) High for his senior year. “I grew up a Hines, so I was known as that.

“I just thought it was right to really dig deep and find the right people to help me get it done, and we got it done.”

It also alleviates any confusion moving forward between Jacksonville’s standout pass rusher and Buffalo Bills star quarterback Josh Allen. The Jaguars’ version is 2-0 in head-to-head matchups, including a victory last year in London.

They meet again in Buffalo on “Monday Night Football” in Week 3, days after Hines-Allen hosts a jersey swap in Jacksonville so fans can exchange No. 41 Jaguars tops with Allen on the back for ones with Hines-Allen on them; Hines-Allen is picking up the tab.

By then, he might even have his Hines tattoo.

“It’ll happen at some point,” he said.