The Jacksonville Jaguars have done a good job of locking their homegrown talent and their only priority free agent in 2025 will probably be safety Andre Cisco. Add the fact that they'll have ample cap space, and they should have no trouble either bringing back a few of their own players or signing in the open market. That said, the Jags could get a bit more cap room by shedding a few contracts.
Jacksonville is slated to have around $46 million in cap room next year. On top of that, the team currently has $16 million in unused space, which could roll over into 2025 for a total of $62 million. If that wasn't enough, they could release the following four players to free up an extra $23 million.
Evan Engram, tight end
There's no doubt that Evan Engram has been a key contributor for the Jags since he signed with them in 2022. In fact, he originally signed a one-year deal because he wanted to bet on himself. After exceeding expectations, he agreed to a three-year deal worth $43.5 million in 2023. But in spite of getting paid, he didn't rest on his laurels and instead went on to have an even better season, breaking some of the same records he set one year prior.
Even though Engram wasn't nearly as productive in 2024, he was still a dependable player up until he suffered a labrum injury that ended his season prematurely. The former Ole Miss Rebel will enter a contract year in 2025 and is scheduled to count $19.7 million against the cap. However, the team's brass could release him to create $6.2 million with $13.5 million.
This begs the question, do the Jaguars think Engram is worth the $6.2 million? If so, they won't hesitate to keep him, but the emergence of sophomore Brenton Strange could ultimately give them a tough decision in 2025.
Christian Kirk, wide receiver
Like Evan Engram, Christian Kirk was part of the 2022 free-agent class that propelled the Jaguars into the playoffs after a five-year absence. Right off the bat, the former Texas A&M Aggie became one of Trevor Lawrence's most trusted targets. Moreover, he set new personal bests for receiving yards and catches in a season in his first season in Jacksonville.
Kirk was having yet another productive season in 2023 before he suffered a core injury that ended his season prematurely. Looking to prove that he was still the same player, he entered 2024 with a mission. Unfortunately, he once again suffered a season-ending injury. This time, it was to his collarbone. This will pose an interesting conundrum for the Jags in 2025, as the Arizona native will be entering a contract year.
There's no doubt that Kirk has been a playmaker and a veteran voice in Jacksonville, but the front office could free up $10 million in cap space by moving on from him. Restructuring his contract could be an alternative, but the Jags already have a competent replacement for the veteran receiver in Parker Washington.
Ronald Darby, cornerback
The Jaguars released Darious Williams in the offseason in a cap-saving move. To replace him, they signed Ronald Darby to an affordable two-year contract with a max value of $10 million. At the time, the deal looked good. After all, the former Florida State Seminole was coming off a couple of productive seasons, and there was a reason to believe that he could be a dependable contributor for the Jags if he managed to avoid injuries.
While Darby has been able to stay healthy, he's seemingly lost a step and has struggled to the point that he was benched in favor of Montaric Brown. Given that moving on from him would create $2.25 million and leave a manageable $2.7 million in dead money, releasing him feels like a no-brainer.
Josh Reynolds, wide receiver
The Jaguars have been dealing with a rash of injuries this season. In particular, their wide receiver corps has been severely ravaged, so nobody batted an eye when they picked Josh Raynolds off waivers to add insurance to the depleted unit.
So far, Reynolds has yet to see meaningful playing time in Duval. That's partly because he's getting acclimated, but Doug Pederson recently told the local media that the former Texas A&M Aggie should get an uptick of playing time in the last three weeks of the season. That will be sort of a tryout for him, and he'll need to prove that he's worth the $4.5 million he's set to count against the cap in 2024.
If he isn't, the Jags can release Reynolds, and collect the entirety of his salary without incurring cap penalties.