Jaguars Free Agency Primer

Mar 14, 2023 - 12:32 PM

The 2023 NFL Free Agency period officially opens on Wednesday at 4 p.m. EST, but it is already in full swing during the negotiation period which started on Monday. There’s not much to expect from the Jacksonville Jaguars during free agency, but at some point they will dip their toes in the water.

Below is what we can expect from the Jaguars during free agency.

What have the Jaguars done so far?

The Jaguars have only brought back some of their own, re-signing running back JaMycal Hasty, re-signing Roy Robertson-Harris and giving tight end Evan Engram the franchise tag.

The Jaguars also re-structured multiple contracts to open of salary cap space and released veteran cornerback Shaquill Griffin to open up even more salary cap space.

Oh yeah, the team officially added wide receiver Calvin Ridley, too.

What have the Jaguars lost so far?

The Jaguars have a list of unrestricted free agents that are a little more than role players, but not really anything they absolutely must bring back. One of the biggest things was right tackle Jawaan Taylor, who the team would have liked to bring back but it was believed it was going to be an expensive keep and that bore out to be true as Taylor agreed to terms with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Tight end Chris Manhertz also signed with the Denver Broncos, but the expectation is the Jaguars were going to likely overhaul their tight end group in the draft anyway.

How much cap room do the Jaguars have?

Currently, after the moves, the Jaguars have roughly around $8 to $10 million in cap space, a large chunk of it tied up with the Engram franchise tag. If the team signs Engram to a long term deal, you can expect that amount to increase as the Jaguars typically like to load their contracts with a big signing bonus and balloon after two years, where if they make a move it’s an actual cap savings.

How active will the Jaguars be?

As mentioned, the Jaguars were never expected to be very active in free agency, at least in the initial rush. The Jaguars will likely sit out the first few days and let the dust settle and then reassess what is available on the market. I would expect the Jaguars to be active in the second wave of the free agency period, looking to find the value and depth fill players.

I wouldn’t be shocked to see the Jaguars get active in the cornerback market or maybe even look at some safety depth. I kind of expect the Jaguars to also try to bring back someone like Arden Key, who really seemed to finally start emerging in the NFL as an impact defender.