Jacksonville Jaguars

With $9.2M in cap room ranked 26th and $51.2M in dead money ranked 9th leaguewide, Jacksonville is financially handcuffed right now but has a clear path to relief if the right cuts are made immediately.

26 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Seven starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

Seven picks in the next draft, all in the first round, plus 21 selections over three years including three first-rounders, gives Jacksonville genuine rebuild ammunition that softens an otherwise demanding roster situation.

The roster's top strength is the defensive edge, where Hines-Allen at 89 overall and Travon Walker at 80 overall give Jacksonville one of the more dangerous pass-rush partnerships in the league, while halfback is the glaring weak spot with the 32nd-ranked starter and a thin depth chart behind him.

• DThigh

  The defensive tackle room ranks 30th in starter quality and 27th in depth, with Arik Armstead starting at 76 overall while entering the twilight of his career and a pair of mid-70s veterans behind him.

• FShigh

  Caleb Ransaw starts at free safety at just 73 overall, giving Jacksonville the 27th-ranked starter at the position despite solid secondary depth behind him.

• HBhigh

  Bhayshul Tuten is the starter at 76 overall but the position ranks dead last in starter quality at 32nd, making halfback the single most urgent offensive upgrade on the roster.

• LTmedium

  Walker Little starts at left tackle at 77 overall, ranking 24th among starters, and his cut-candidate status creates uncertainty about whether he remains the answer at the blindside.

• RGmedium

  Emmanuel Pregnon starts at right guard at 73 overall, ranking 26th among starters, and the youth of the interior line makes immediate improvement difficult through development alone.

• TEmedium

  Brenton Strange leads the tight end room at 77 overall, but the position ranks 22nd in starter quality and 28th in depth, leaving Lawrence with very little reliable secondary receiving support.

• WRmedium

  Jakobi Meyers starts at 82 overall but the receiver room ranks 25th in starter quality, and the youth of Brian Thomas Jr. and Parker Washington means production must develop before it can be counted on.

• Clow

  Robert Hainsey holds down center at 74 overall, ranking 20th among starters, a manageable but real weakness in an offensive line that has multiple spots needing attention.

• WILLlow

  Jahlani Tavai starts at WILL linebacker at 75 overall, ranking 20th among starters, and with limited depth behind him the position is vulnerable if he misses time.

• 61Nick MullensQBNick Mullens is the third quarterback on the depth chart at 61 overall, and releasing him frees $1.7M against only $800K in dead money, making him a straightforward roster savings with Joey Aguilar available as the backup.Frees $1.7M · $800.0K dead
• 76Arik ArmsteadDTArik Armstead is the starting defensive tackle at 76 overall but is in the twilight of his career, and releasing him frees $14.0M against $5.4M in dead money, providing the most significant single cap relief available to address the team's multiple urgent needs.Frees $14.0M · $5.4M dead
• 73DaVon HamiltonDTDaVon Hamilton is a backup defensive tackle at 73 overall, and releasing him frees $7.4M against $5.0M in dead money, adding further relief in a position group that needs an overhaul anyway.Frees $7.4M · $5.0M dead
• 67Chuma EdogaRTChuma Edoga is the second-string right tackle at 67 overall behind Anton Harrison, and cutting him frees $2.2M against $1.7M in dead money for minimal depth loss at a position that already has a legitimate starter.Frees $2.2M · $1.7M dead
• 65Hunter LongTEHunter Long sits third on the depth chart at tight end at 65 overall with Brenton Strange and Nate Boerkircher ahead of him, and releasing him frees $2.0M against only $750K in dead money.Frees $2.0M · $750.0K dead

Jacksonville is a team caught between its present and its future. Trevor Lawrence at 84 overall provides a credible franchise quarterback, and the defensive edge is legitimately threatening with Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker leading the charge. Travis Hunter is a genuine rising star at cornerback, and the young wide receiver corps of Brian Thomas Jr. and Parker Washington gives Lawrence weapons to grow with. The problems are real, though. The halfback position is the weakest starter in the league by the team's own rank, the defensive tackle group is thin and aging, and free safety lacks a reliable veteran anchor. The cap is constrained right now, with $9.2M in room and $51.2M in dead money dragging on flexibility, though commitments thin out meaningfully after next season. Foyesade Oluokun and Jourdan Lewis are both contributors entering the final phase of their careers, and succession planning at those spots must begin now. The team holds seven picks in its next draft and 21 over three years, including three first-rounders, which gives the front office real tools to address the depth and position holes without being locked out of solutions. This is a franchise with a clear direction and real young talent, but one that requires disciplined roster management to cross from competitive to contender.

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.