The Jacksonville Jaguars are currently at the top of the AFC South and have a legitimate chance to make the playoffs in 2022. Moreover, they have enough building blocks to be a contender beyond this season. On the other hand, salary cap rules won’t allow the Jags to keep every single player that has played an important role in their success this year.
Jacksonville is set to be $400,000 in the red next year, per Over The Cap. They’ll be able to free up cap space if they restructure a few contracts but they will also need to let a handful of players go. Similarly, they won’t have the sufficient cap room to re-sign some notable free agents. With that in mind, here are five Jaguars who might not return next season.
No. 5 Jaguars player who might not return next season: Shaquill Griffin, CB
Cornerback Shaquill Griffin was one of the Jaguars’ biggest free-agent signings last year. He quickly established himself as a leader of the defense and fared well in spite of the Urban Meyer debacle.
A Pro Bowl selection in 2019, Griffin appeared in 14 games and logged 49 total tackles last year. While he didn’t have an interception last season, he did register seven passes defended. The former UCF Knight allowed two touchdowns in the 2022 season opener but has played much better since then.
Griffin’s contract will expire after the conclusion of the 2023 season but the Jags could free up $13.5 million cap space with a dead cap hit of $4 million if they release him next offseason.
If released, Griffin’s leadership and play would be missed but the front office might not want to pass up the chance to get more than $10 million in cap relief.
No. 4 Jaguars player who might not return next season: Evan Engram, TE
Tight end was one of the Jaguars’ biggest needs in the offseason and they addressed it when they signed Evan Engram to a one-year deal. Like many of the moves Trent Baalke made earlier this year, this had the potential to backfire. But locking up the former Ole Miss Rebel has had a suitable outcome.
A first-round pick in the 2017 draft, Engram spent the first five seasons of his NFL career with the New York Giants. While he averaged 52 catches per year, he also struggled with drops and mental mistakes. But as expected, he’s thrived on Doug Pederson’s tight-end friendly offense, hauling in 12 receptions for 83 yards. He’s also registered a two-point conversion and hasn’t had a single drop.
Engram has become an important piece in the Jaguars’ offensive puzzle and they would surely like to keep him beyond 2022 but if he keeps playing the way he has, he’s going to be in high demand in free agency and teams desperate to upgrade their tight end room (and more cap space than Jacksonville) could end up making him an offer he won’t be able to refuse.
To make matters worse, Luke Farrell is the only tight end on the Jags’ roster whose contract won’t expire after 2022. Chris Manhertz and Dan Arnold are also set to become free agents next offseason, so it might be a good idea for the front office to heavily scout the 2023 tight end class.
No. 3 Jaguars player who might not return next season: Rayshawn Jenkins, S
Even though the Jaguars’ lacked playmakers last year, the roster wasn’t completely devoid of talent. Having said that, many players underachieved under Urban Meyer’s demoralizing regime. Think about it, you know you are good but if someone tells you every day you come into work that you won’t be able to get a job that pays more than $15 an hour, it’s going to eventually take a toll on your mental health.
That’s what happened to the Jaguars last year under Meyer. Contrary to what the “head coach” told the media, it wasn’t the losing that got him fired but rather all the mental abuse he laid on his team. One player of several players who has performed considerably better now that Doug Pederson is at the helm is safety Rayshawn Jenkins.
Last season, Jenkins didn’t register a single big play and even got ejected in Week 11 after punching San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings. In his own words, he was just working just to work. This season, he’s already snagged an interception and has logged five passes defensed (two more than last season).
Jenkins signed a four-year deal worth $35 million last offseason, so he would have two years left on his contract after 2022. However, he’s also slated to count $10.25 million against the cap, and releasing him would add $4 million in dead money to the books. But it would also create $6.25 million in cap space.
Gus Logue of Big Cat Country recently took an excellent in-depth look at Jenkin’s tape and talked about the things (good and bad) that he brings to the table. Just like this writer, Logue thinks the veteran safety could be a cap casualty next year.
No. 2 Jaguars player who might not return next season: Marvin Jones, WR
It’s easy to think of wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. as a veteran leader and that’s accurate. He’s a calming presence in the Jags’ locker room but he’s also a pretty good player. The former Cal Golden Bear was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals back in 2012 and has tallied 507 catches for 6,961 receiving yards and 56 touchdowns through his pro career. Simply, you won’t last that long in the NFL if you aren’t playing at a high level, which is what Jones has done everywhere he’s gone, including Duval County.
Even though Urban Meyer had no idea what he was doing and the Jags ranked last in points scored last year, Jones still managed to haul in 73 receptions for 832 yards with four touchdowns. Due to the arrival of Christian Kirk and Zay Jones earlier this year, Jones is no longer the primary target on the Jags’ offense but he’s still an important cog.
Jones has started all three games and caught 11 passes for 104 yards with one touchdown. He won’t put up monster numbers but he’s the kind of player that will show up if called upon. That’s teams will be interested in him in 2023, when his contract with the Jaguars expires.
Looking back, the Jaguars got a good deal when they signed Jones to a two-year, $14.5 million contract last offseason and it would be great to bring him back but there might not be enough money to pull it off.
No. 1 Jaguars player who might not return next season: Jawaan Taylor
Earlier this year, it looked like right tackle Jawaan Taylor was on his way out of Jacksonville and he could still be but for different reasons. A second-round pick in the 2019 draft, the former Florida Gator flashed in his rookie year but regressed the next two seasons. He had to compete with sophomore Walker Little in training camp to keep his job and ultimately won the battle.
Taylor hasn’t looked back and has performed considerably. Last year, he struggled with penalties but he hasn’t been flagged once this season. Similarly, he’s just allowed one pressure. The Florida native recently said that the training camp battle helped him improve the main reason behind his turnaround is the passing of his father earlier this year.
While that’s sad news, Taylor saw it as an opportunity to better himself, and he’s putting himself in a position to earn a top-market contract next year. The Jaguars re-signed Cam Robinson and inked right guard Brandon Scherff earlier this year, so they may have a hard time putting aside enough money to bring back Taylor.
On the bright side, the front office seemed to have prepared for Taylor’s potential departure. In case, he does leave in free agency, the Jags can easily plug in Little, who is still in his rookie deal, at right tackle.
With Taylor in the starting lineup, the former Stanford Cardinals will have even more time to get fully acclimated to lining up on the right side after mostly playing left tackle throughout this football career.