The Jacksonville Jaguars are in the midst of a cap crunch, so general manager James Gladstone will be forced to work his magic. The Jags are currently $17 million over the cap after signing several players to future/reserve contracts. They'll now need to find a way to free up space to keep some of their free agents and get the 2026 rookie class under contract.
Although the team's cap situation is far from great, there are a few contracts that Gladstone can rework to get relief. Similarly, he could cut ties with a handful of players to create even more space.
With this in mind, here are five easy moves the Jaguars can make to free up $38.5 million in space
Jaguars move No. 1 to free up $7.2 M space: Trade Walker Little
James Gladstone made it clear that every offensive lineman on the team under contract will return in 2026. That said, he may need to reconsider his stance. One of the reasons the Jags are on the red to begin with was that they gave Cole Van Lanen a three-year, $51 million deal just before the season ended.
With Cole Van Lanen in the fold, Jacksonville no longer has room for the man he replaced at left tackle: Walker Little. A second-round pick in 2021, Little inked a three-year deal worth $40.5 million in 2024 but left much to be desired last season.
The former Stanford Cardinal could benefit from a change of scenery, and his contract is tradable. Sending him to another team would leave $7.2 million in dead money but would also free up $7.2 million in space. after June 1st. On top of that, Little could net the Jags a draft pick. It wouldn't matter if they got a fourth or a fifth, but it would give the Jags the ammo to address another position group.
Jaguars move No. 2 to free up $2.3 M in space: Release Chuma Edoga
This one should be a no-brainer. The Jags signed center Robert Hainsey and right guard Patrick Mekari in free agency to start, but also brougth in Fred Johnson and Chuma Edoga to add depth. At the time, signing Edoga raised eyebrows as he struggled with the Dallas Cowboys and other prior stops. However, the former USC Trojan showed enough promise in the offseason to make you think that he could come through if called upon. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
Edoga struggled when his number was called and didn't get much playing time late in the season. Penalties, in particular, turned out to be an issue. Following his unremarkable 2025, it's hard to see him return for a second season in Duval.
Jaguars move No. 3 to free up $7.5 M in space: Restructure Patrick Mekari
As noted before, the Jags signed Patrick Mekari to play right guard. This was a bit odd because the California product had lined up at several spots across the offensive line throughout his career but had never played right guard full-time. Still, he displayed enough improvement at left guard in 2024 to make you think that he would have no trouble switching sides. H
Mekari ended up being just fine, not great, but another season playing inside could help him put it all together. But since he isn't going anywhere, the front office could restructure his contract to convert some of his base salary, $7.5 million, in 2026 to a signing bonus to spread the cap hit to future years.
Jaguras move No. 4 to free up $14. 5 M in space: Make Arik Armstead a post-June 1 cut
This would arguably be the toughest pill to swallow. After an unremarkable 2024, Arik Armstead got off to a strong start to the regular season. But he slowed down considerably after suffering a hand injury. Maybe his dip in production was the result of his injury, but there's no doubt that the Jags didn't get much production from him in the second half of the year.
Although the Jaguars don't have better alternatives at defensive tackle in 2026, the prospect of releasing Armstead shouldn't be ruled out. After all, the Jags would free up $14.4 million in space with $4.9 million in dead money if they move on from him with a post-June 1 designation.
Sure, parting ways with Armstead would leave a void in the interior trenches, but that should incentivize the Jaguars to add reinforcement in the draft.
Jaguars move No. 5 to free up $7 M in space: Restructure Josh Hines-Allen
Here's another player who won't be going anywhere next season. Josh Hines-Allen got off to a slow start to 2025, but finished the year strong. Sure, he wasn't nearly as dominant as the Jags would've hoped against the Bills, but he wasn't the sole reason Jacksonville lost.
Heck, you could make the case that Hines-Allen would have been better if he had gotten more help from the interior defensive line. If he gets it in 2026, he should put up a better statline. For the time being, he needs to help the team by restructuring his contract and converting $7 million of his salary next season into a signing bonus.