5 players who robbed the Jacksonville Jaguars blind in 2024

Before the season started, owner Shad Khan proclaimed that the 2024 Jacksonville Jaguars were the best team in franchise history. He might've tried to get the Jags hyped up for the season, but the statement proved to be false, as they finished 3-14.

Looking back, Jacksonville wasn't a bad team but it wasn't nearly as good as Khan thought. In fact, he might've thought it was the best in franchise history because of all the money he poured in last offseason. Unfortunately, the Jags didn't get enough bang for their buck, and they shouldn't feel great about giving top-market contracts to these five players.

Devin Duvernay, return specialist

Contract: 2 years, $8.5 M

Return specialist Jamal Agnew was a playmaker for the Jaguars in 2021. However, injuries hampered his performance the past two years, and the team's brass let him walk in free agency. To replace him, they signed two-time Pro Bowl selection Devin Duvernay. In theory, it was a great move.

After all, Duvernay had been a dynamic returner for the Baltimore Ravens. Moreover, he was a key cog in their passing game, so the Jags must've been thrilled when they got him for a manageable $8.5 million. However, the former Texas Longhorn didn't provide the spark Jacksonville expected. His 8.8 yards per punt return marked a career low, and his 25.1 yards per return were nothing to write home about. Similarly, he didn't offer much in the passing game, hauling in 11 catches for 79 yards.

To make matters worse, sophomore Parker Washington had a bigger impact in the return game, so there's a chance Duvernay will be one-and-done in Jacksonville.

Gabe Davis, wide receiver

Contract: 3 years, $39 M

Following the 2023 season, the Jaguars wanted to upgrade Trevor Lawrence's arsenal of weapons. That wasn't a bad plan, the trouble lay in the execution, as they signed Gabe Davis to a three-year deal worth $39 million in free agency. While he averaged 16.9 yards per reception during his four-year stint with the Buffalo Bills, the Fernandina Beach, Florida native had a mediocre catch rate of 54.5.

The expectation was that Davis was going to post better numbers catching passes from Trevor Lawrence, but that didn't turn out to be the case. Instead, his catch rate was the worst of his career, and was on pace to register career lows for yards and receptions in a season before a knee cut his year short.

Davis ultimately finished the year with a paltry 20 catches for 239 yards with two touchdowns. Given that the Jaguars would incur a considerable amount of dead money if they release him in 2025, they'd better hope he improves.

Arik Armstead, defensive lineman

Contract: 3 years, $43.5 M

Defensive end Arik Armstead was the crown jewel of the Jaguars' 2024 free-agent class. A first-round pick in 2015, the former Oregon Duck was one of the best defensive tackles in the league during his stint with the San Francisco 49ers. However, he felt disrespected when he was asked to take a pay cut last offseason and requested his request. Once it was granted to him, he wasted no time bolting for the Jags, citing the presence of Trent Baalke as the main reason.

Like most of the moves on this list, signing Armstead made sense on paper. After all, the Jaguars struggled to bring the heat inside the year prior, and his presence would've given the interior trenches a massive boost. The issue was that the coaching staff moved him to the edge, which was a puzzling decision when you take into account that he was at his best when he played defensive tackle.

To nobody's surprise, Armstead looked out of place at defensive end, and his production suffered a dip because of it. He finished the season with a measly two sacks, 29 total tackles, and 36 total pressures.

The silver lining is that Armstead will return to his familiar defensive tackle spot in 2025. But for the time being, it's fair to say that the Jaguars didn't get a good return on their investment.

Josh-Hines Allen, edge rusher

Contract: 5 years, $141.25 M

There's no doubt Josh Hines-Allen deserved to be paid, and you could make the case that the Jacksonville Jaguars cost themselves several millions by not giving him a new deal before his contract expired in 2023. After a brief stalemate, he and the team's brass agreed to a five-year contract worth $141.25 million. Now, this may be a bit of a controversial take, but he didn't live up to it.

Sure, Hines-Allen was responsible for 63 of the team's 262 total pressures, or about 24 percent. Similarly, opposing teams had to account for him on every single play. Having said that, you don't measure the best pass rushers in the league by total pressures but rather momentum-swinging plays.

Think Maxx Crosby, Myles Garrett, Aidan Hutchinson, or T.J. Watt. They routinely lead the league in sacks and turnovers. This isn't to say that Hines-Allen wasn't bad but he wasn't in the same echelon as the top pass rushers in the league last year but was paid like one.

Trevor Lawrence, quarterback

Early in his career, Trevor Lawrence rightly got a pass because he had Urban Meyer as his head coach in his rookie season. However, it's been three seasons since then, and the Jacksonville Jaguars cannot perpetually wait for the former Clemson Tiger to deliver, especially after giving him a five-year deal worth $275 million last offseason.

Lawrence's deal makes him one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL, but he didn't play like one in 2024. His mechanics regressed, and he didn't always make good decisions. In his defense, he wasn't getting help from the coaching staff, but there's a point in which you have to take a look in the mirror and ask yourself whether you're part of the problem. Is it harsh? You bet, but that comes with being the franchise's most prominent player.

You could make the case that Lawrence has been hurt the past two years, but availability is the best ability. It doesn't matter if you're the most talented player if you cannot set foot on the field. Working in his favor is that the Knoxville, Tennessee native is aware he needs to look for ways to stay healthy. Similarly, he'll get a fresh start with a new coaching staff in 2025, so this is maybe the year when he once again plays like the top-10 quarterback he is.