Jaguars WR Marvin Jones Jr. among top receivers potentially available in 2023 NFL free agency

NFL teams in need of wide receiver help this offseason could sign Marvin Jones Jr. who is scheduled to become a free agent. While the Jacksonville Jaguars would surely like to re-sign Jones, they won’t have enough cap space to make happen, so there’s a realistic chance he’ll hit the open market. If he does, former NFL wide receiver Greg Jennings believes he would be one of the top 10 options available.

Jennings recently wrote an article for The 33rd Team in which he lists the top 10 receivers who will potentially be available in free agency, and Jones popped up at No. 7. Jennings says that Jones is coming off a down year but points out that he’s previously filled in the role of a No. 1 receiver. He goes on to cite Jones’ ability to high-point and track the ball as his best traits.

"Marvin Jones is a bigger receiver who had a down year, but we’ve seen him thrive when he was featured as a No. 1, 1B kind of guy with the Detroit Lions and Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars started to get a lot of different guys so he kind of fell to the back in Jacksonville but he’s still a player who can high-point and track the ball well. I like Jones as a veteran guy entering a locker room. You know what you’re going to get: No issues off the field and one of the better guys in the league at his position. He’s surpassed 800 yards receiving five times and has 58 career touchdowns."

Other receivers that appeared in Jennins list are Jarvin Landry (New Orleans Saints), Noah Brown (Dallas Cowboys), Mecole Hardman (Kansas City Chiefs), Darius Slayton (New York Giants), Parris Campbell (Indianapolis Colts), DJ Chark Jr. (Detroit Lions), JuJu Smith-Schuster (Kansas City Chiefs), and Jakobi Meyers (New England Patriots).

It’s hard to see the Jaguars bringing back Marvin Jones Jr. in free agency

A fifth-round by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2013, Jones signed a two-year deal worth $13.5 million with the Jaguars in 2021 and he went on to lead the team in catches (73), receiving yards (832), and receiving touchdowns (four) in his first season in Jacksonville. However, he saw a decrease in targets due to the arrival of fellow wide receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones last offseason.

While Jones indeed have a down season from a production standpoint, he was his reliable self and the only reason didn’t get more catches was because Kirk and ‘the other Jones’ became the focal point on the Jacksonville offense. Still, the former Golden Cal Bear isn’t showing signs of slowing down and could be a good WR2 for half the teams in the league.

Make no mistake though, if the Jaguars part ways with Marvin Jones, it’s because their wide receiver corps is stacked and they’ve allocated a significant amount of cap space to the position. With the potential reinstatement of Calvin Ridley, Jones would probably become the fourth receiver on the depth chart. That would be fine if he were a fringe player but he’s not.

All things considered, it doesn’t make sense for Jones to be buried on the Jaguars’ depth chart when he could be a starting wide receiver for another team and be paid handsomely for it. While a breakup seems inevitable, this may be the best possible outcome for both parties.