Jacksonville Jaguars Free Agency 2017: The Arrivals, Departures, and Trades

Departures

While most of the news focused on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ acquisitions, the Jags also have made room by letting some players walk in free agency and cutting others.

Johnathan Cyprien, strong safety

Johnathan Cyprien signed a deal with the Tennessee Titans worth $25 million over four years. He figures to immediately play for the Titans.

The Jags upgraded over Cyprien with Barry Church (see Acquisitions) and are not likely to miss him. He had a big contract year, in on 126 tackles but he hasn’t done enough to be a disruptive player for the Jaguars. His limited ability in coverage also made it an easy decision to walk away.

Julius Thomas, tight end

Traded to the Miami Dolphins in the two-trade deal to acquire offensive tackle Branden Albert, Julius Thomas was sent to Miami for just a 2017 seventh-round pick. One of the big-name free agents to come to Jacksonville two seasons ago, Thomas never delivered on his potential.

With Tom Coughlin now in Jacksonville, it was clear Thomas was out. Coughlin expects his tight ends to be versatile players and Thomas was primarily a pass-catching tight end with limited blocking ability.

Thomas’ contract is being restructured to better reflect his value, going from $9.2 million per year in Jacksonville to $6.1 million per year in Miami.

Luke Joeckel, offensive lineman

Luke Joeckel’s time with the Jacksonville Jaguars has been disappointing. The number two overall pick in 2013, Joeckel never delivered on his potential. He wasn’t terrible at left tackle but he also wasn’t great, forcing the Jags to pursue Kelvin Beachum last season and boot Joeckel inside to guard.

Unfortunately, Joeckel didn’t do well at guard either. Patrick Omameh replaced him and secured a new deal with the Jags, making a move on from Joeckel imminent.

Nobody seemed willing to take a chance on the former first-rounder but Joeckel did quickly sign a one-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks. That deal is worth $8 million per Spotrac.

Sen’Derrick Marks, defensive tackle

The Jags officially moved on from Sen’Derrick Marks, releasing him from the team at the start of free agency. Marks felt underutilized by the Jags last season and sought his release so he could start elsewhere.

A fan-favorite, Marks was simply replaced by the Jags with better players over the last season. with Calais Campbell coming to town, it was clear Marks would be stuck further down the depth chart. The Jags shopped Marks before free agency looking for a trade partner.

He’ll be missed for his commitment to the community. He spent three hours responding to every Jags fans reaching out to him on Twitter.

Davon House, cornerback

The Jaguars cut Davon House before free agency began to let him hit the free agent market. A former 16-game starter the year before, House only started four games in 2016 as he slid behind Jalen Ramsey and Prince Amukamara on the depth chart.

Prince Amukamara, cornerback

Brought to Jacksonville on a one-year “prove it” deal, Prince Amukamara delivered. He started 12 games and played at a high level, complementing Jalen Ramsey well. Unfortunately, the Jags now have A.J. Bouye (see Acquisitions) at cornerback, making Amukamara expendable. The Jags planned on pursuing a better cornerback like Bouye in free agency and let Amukamara walk.

Amukamara has signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Bears.

Kelvin Beachum, left tackle

The Jacksonville Jaguars opted not to pick up Beachum’s option after just one year with the team. That meant he was out to market and, with plenty of starting experience, he would likely get snapped up fairly quickly. Beachum wasn’t on the market long before he signed a three-year, $24 million contract with the New York Jets.