Among their top priorities on their to-do list this offseason, the Jacksonville Jaguars will need to decide what to do with linebacker Devin Lloyd. The linebacker is coming off a breakout year and is now scheduled to become a free agent.
While the Jags would surely love to have Lloyd back, they may not have enough cap space to make him a competitive offer. Couple that with the fact that they need to add reinforcements at defensive tackle, the pass rush, and cornerback, and there's a strong chance the fifth-year linebacker will leave.
Heck, at this point may be inevitable, which begs the question, what kind of contract will Lloyd get in free agency? An AFC Pro scout came up with an estimate.
An AFC scout projects Devin Lloyd to get a better contract than Quay Walker
Via John Shipley of Sports Illustrated, an AFC Pro Scout says Devin Lloyd will be the highest-paid linebacker in this year's free agency, noting that he'll get an even better contract than Quay Walker.
"He will get more than Quay Walker," The AFC scout said. "He just had a stellar year and some team will use it to convince themselves it is his new norm. Maybe it is."
At first sight, the scout's comments sound like good insight. The issue is that the comparison isn't truly apt. For starters, Lloyd is better than Walker. In fact, the latter is solid but far from a playmaker.
In four seasons with the Green Bay Packers, Walker has logged a combined 469 total tackles but has only registered one interception. Moreover, he doesn't have any accolades, unlike Lloyd, who was a Pro Bowl alternate and earned a Second-Team All-Pro designation last year. This is why there will be at least five linebackers who'll likely get better deals than him.
Spotrac gives Walker a contract value of $8 million per year. Lloyd clears him easily at $16 million per year. A better comparison would be fellow linebacker Zach Baun, who got a contract that pays him an annual average of $17 million. Depending on the demand for his services, there's a chance Lloyd could get that average.
Of course, these are only estimations, and players could end up getting more or less than the amounts Spotrac or Pro Football Focus suggest. Having said that, the consensus seems to agree that Lloyd will get a top-market contract. How the final amount looks, though, remains to be seen.
The Jaguars may still lose Devin Lloyd even if he's cheaper than projected
As noted before, valuations vary, and Devin Lloyd is projected to get as much as $20 million per year, but he'll more likely get something along the lines of $17 million. But even then, he might not still fit the Jaguars' spending budget in 2026.
Leaving aside that Jacksonville hasn't even begun contract talks yet, Lloyd has been non-committal about re-signing. It's understandable when you take into account that teams in need of linebacker help won't hesitate to give him a top-market contract, one the Jags won't be able to give him.
There are still a few weeks left before free agency starts, and you can never rule out something getting done at the 11th hour. That said, it doesn't look like Devin Lloyd will return to the Jaguars, regardless of how much it takes to lock him up.