Jacksonville Jaguars

With just $9.2M in cap room (rank 26 of 32) and $51.2M in dead money dragging the books, Jacksonville is one of the most financially constrained teams in the league and must cut aggressively before spending a single dollar on upgrades.

26 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Seven starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

The roster's top strength is the pass-rush and secondary combination that drives a 75 defensive rating, while the weakest spot is the offensive line, which features multiple low-rated starters and thin, below-average depth.

• RGlow

  Emmanuel Pregnon starts at RG with Patrick Mekari as the backup, but the position rates below the rest of the offensive line and could use a higher-ceiling starter.

• RTlow

  Anton Harrison holds down the RT spot, but depth behind him is thin and below average, with Chuma Edoga and Ricky Lee as the only options.

• LTlow

  Walker Little starts at LT but is a cut candidate whose contract situation adds uncertainty, and the backups behind him are significantly below starter quality.

• LSlow

• Air RaidoffensivePassable

  Trevor Lawrence's Star dev trait and the three-wide receiver depth at the top of the depth chart give the Jaguars the personnel to run a spread passing attack, even if the offensive line's overall rating limits the scheme's ceiling.

• Balanced 4-3defensivePassable

  The defensive front of Travon Walker at LEDGE, Josh Hines-Allen at REDGE, and Arik Armstead at the one-tech provides a naturally 4-3-aligned rotation, with Foyesade Oluokun controlling the middle linebacker anchor spot.

• 61Nick MullensQBNick Mullens sits third on the QB depth chart behind Trevor Lawrence and Joey Aguilar, and releasing him frees $1.7M against just $800K in dead money, making it an easy cap cleanup.Frees $1.7M · $800.0K dead
• 76Arik ArmsteadDTArik Armstead starts at DT but is entering the twilight of his career with a Normal dev trait, and releasing him frees $14.0M against $5.4M in dead money, the largest cap relief available on the roster.Frees $14.0M · $5.4M dead
• 73DaVon HamiltonDTDaVon Hamilton sits outside the starting DT rotation and releasing him frees $7.4M against $5.0M in dead money, providing meaningful relief on a cap-strapped team.Frees $7.4M · $5.0M dead
• 67Chuma EdogaRTChuma Edoga is the second-string RT behind Anton Harrison and releasing him frees $2.2M against $1.7M in dead money, a modest saving worth taking at a position where Ricky Lee can hold the reserve slot.Frees $2.2M · $1.7M dead
• 65Hunter LongTEHunter Long is listed at FB on the depth chart and has no role in the TE rotation, and releasing him frees $2.0M against only $750K in dead money.Frees $2.0M · $750.0K dead

The Jaguars are a team built around Trevor Lawrence at quarterback with a credible defensive core headlined by Josh Hines-Allen and Foyesade Oluokun, but significant cap constraints complicate the path forward. Jacksonville carries $51.2M in dead money, ranking ninth leaguewide, and has just $9.2M in cap room. The offensive line is the most glaring structural weakness, with need flags at LT, RG, and RT, and the depth chart showing several cut candidates occupying roster spots. Oluokun and Jourdan Lewis provide strong veteran production right now but are both entering the late stage of their careers, making it important to accelerate the development of younger contributors like Travis Hunter and Antonio Johnson in the secondary. The wide receiver group featuring Jakobi Meyers, Brian Thomas Jr., and Parker Washington is legitimately talented and young, giving Lawrence a strong target tree to work with. Cam Little's Superstar dev trait at kicker is a hidden long-term asset. The franchise window is open, but the cap picture demands disciplined roster management before Jacksonville can truly compete for a championship.

The Jacksonville Jaguars were awarded to Jacksonville, Florida on November 30, 1993 as the NFL's 30th franchise, under principal owner Wayne Weaver, and began play in 1995 alongside the Carolina Panthers. Placed in the AFC Central (moving to the AFC South upon 2002 realignment), the expansion Jaguars enjoyed one of the great early runs in NFL history under first head coach Tom Coughlin: after a 4-12 debut, they reached the AFC Championship Game in just their second season (1996), upsetting the Bills and Broncos on the road. They made the playoffs four straight years (1996-99), won AFC Central titles in 1998 and 1999, and posted a franchise-best 14-2 regular-season record in 1999 before losing the AFC title game to Tennessee. Salary-cap problems and Coughlin's 2002 firing ushered in leaner years; the Jack Del Rio era produced playoff berths in 2005 and 2007 but no division titles. The bright exception was 2017, when Doug Marrone and the top-ranked 'Sacksonville' defense rode to the AFC South title and within a whisker of the Super Bowl, losing 24-20 at New England. The current era began with the No. 1 overall selection of Trevor Lawrence in 2021; after the brief Urban Meyer tenure, Lawrence led an AFC South title and a memorable playoff comeback in 2022 under Doug Pederson. Pederson was fired after 2024; the team hired Liam Coen in January 2025 and immediately vaulted back to prominence with a 13-4 AFC South championship in 2025. The Jaguars have made the playoffs nine times, won five division titles (1998, 1999, 2017, 2022, 2025), and reached three AFC Championship Games (1996, 1999, 2017), but remain one of four franchises, along with Cleveland, Detroit, and Houston, never to appear in a Super Bowl.