After finishing with a disappointing 4-13 record in 2024, the Jacksonville Jaguars decided to clean house last year. They ousted head coach Doug Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke and later brought in Liam Coen and James Gladstone to replace them. Together, the duo spent the offseason addressing the larger scale roster.
Although the Jags didn't go into a spending spree in free agency, many of the players they locked up went on to make an impact. Similarly, their rookie class struggled to stay healthy, but Jacksonville still got plenty of production from a trio of players.
All the tweaks the team's brass made, along with the core that was already in place, led to a 13-4 record and a trip to the playoffs in 2025. Having exceeded expectations, the Jaguars now face a different set of challenges in Year 2 of the Liam Coen era. The good news is that they have the right leadership in place to stay on course, and an NFL analyst made sure to acknowledge it on a recent list.
The Jaguars got the most glowing review among AFC South teams
Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report wrote one sentence about every team eliminated from playoff contention. For the Jaguars, he says they're facing several tough decisions in free agency but points out that they appear to be trending in the right direction.
"They have some major calls to make in free agency, but it finally feels as though the Jags are on the right track on both sides of the ball as well as off the field," Gagnon wrote.
It's worth noting that Gagnon also shared his thoughts on other AFC South teams, but none of them got a review as positive as the one Jacksonville got.
Gagnon says C.J. Stroud could be holding the Houston Texans back, while the Indianapolis Colts may be entering a make-or-break season. The Tennessee Titans, on the other hand, are still in rebuild mode, so they may not be able to compete in the division just yet.
This doesn't mean the Jaguars should uncork the champagne just yet. As noted before, they'll have their work cut out for them in free agency.
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The Jaguars have to make decisions on Devin Lloyd, Montaric Brown, and Travis Etienne
The Jaguars gave extensions to wide receiver Jakobi Meyers and offensive lineman Cole Van Lanen just before the regular season ended. They then signed a handful of players to reserve/future contracts. But that was just the beginning. Next, James Gladstone will need to figure out what to do with cornerback Montaric Brown, linebacker Devin Lloyd, and running back Travis Etienne.
Of the three, Lloyd may be the most difficult to re-sign because he's coming off a banner season and will command top-market rates if he hits the open market. That said, there's no guarantee that either Etienne or Brown will return. Once the Jags figure out who'll stay, they'll need to find their potential replacements. On top of that, the front office will need to add reinforcements at cornerback, defensive tackle, and the pass rush. Lots of work, right?
Compounding the issue is that Jacksonville is currently $21 million over the cap. Even after shedding space, the team's brass won't be able to make many big signings in free agency. That means that Jacksonville may need to turn to the draft to address most of the needs.
When you add it all up, the Jaguars will be quite busy in the offseason. On the bright side, they should have no trouble navigating the challenges ahead with Liam Coen and James Gladstone in the fold.