Now that the Jacksonville Jaguars have switched to full offseason mode, they'll need to figure out how to bolster their pass rush if they want to keep up with other playoff teams in 2026. Their inability to bring the heat was in full display when Josh Allen had no trouble shredding the secondary in the playoff loss to the Bills.
General manager James Gladstone says that the Jags did a better job of getting after the quarterback in the second half of the regular season. However, he didn't rule out making upgrades in the upcoming months.
Maxx Crosby has suddenly surge as a trade target, but Jacksonville could also make a run for T.J. Watt. That said, acquring either one of them would take up signficant resources. Couple that with the fact that the Jags may be dealing with salary cap constraints, and they may look for reinforcements in free agency or the draft.
If Gladstone choses the free agency route, though, he's been urged to avoid an underwehlming pass rusher who may be available in the open market.
The Jaguars are being urged to skip Jaelan Phillips in free agency
Alex Kay of Bleacher Report put together a list of pending free agent teams that must avoid and included Jaelan Phillips, noting that he bounced back in 2025 after two injury-marred seasons.
"Phillips seems to have finally put those health woes behind him, appearing in all 17 games during the 2025 season," Kay wrote. "Those contests were split between the Dolphins and the Philadelphia Eagles, the club that traded for him at the deadline to add some much-needed juice to its flailing pass rush.
Kay continued, "Landing in the City of Brotherly Love did wonders for Phillips' free-agency stock. Although he only recorded two sacks in eight games with the Eagles, he tallied an impressive 17 pressures, four tackles for a loss, a forced fumble and fumble recovery in that span. Suitors will now have to determine which version of Phillips they will get. Finding out won't come cheap, though."
For the sake of transparency, Kay didn't list the Jags as a landing spot for Phillips but instead warned teams in need of pass rush to pass on him.
A first-round pick in 2021, Phillips has dealt with a myriad of injuries dating back to his college days. However, that hasn't stopped him from making an impact when he takes the football field. The issue is that the injury bug has followed him to the NFL.
Although Phillips played all 17 games in 2025, he missed a combined 22 matchups the prior two years. Moreover, hasn't had more than seven sacks in a season since 2022. Nevertheless, the Philadelphia Eagles recognized his potential and traded for him at the 2025 deadline.
Before landing in Philly, Phillips had three sacks so he finish the year with 5.0. This is to say that he could be a solid rotational piece, but his production may not be on par with his contract projection for 2026.
Spotrac has a market valuation of $17.3 million per year for Phillips. That's simply too much for a player who's never had more than nine sacks in a season and a long list of injuries. Of course, it would make sense for the Jaguars to target him if his price isn't as expensive. But even then, signing would be a high-risk, high-reward kind of move.
Related: 5 players who definitely won't return to Jacksonville in 2026
The Jaguars may have better options than Jaelan Phillips to bolster the pass rush
Leaving aside that Jaelan Phillips may command a top-market contract, the Jaguars might not be able to affford him. They're currently $13 million over the draft and still haven't re-signed pending free agents Devin Lloyd, Travis Etienne, and Montaric Brown.
If the Jags really wanted to make a splash signing at defensvie end, they may be better off pursuing Trey Hendrickson. Granted, his coming off an injury-marred season and may be a bit more expensive, but he's a proven commodity and a more consistent pass rusher than Phillips.
Ultimately, though, the Jaguars may need to resort to the draft to bolster their pass rush. Not because it isn't a priority but rather because they'll be dealing with a cap crunch. And on the off chance, they do decide to bring in a free agent, they're better off skipping Jaelan Phillips altogether.