The Jacksonville Jaguars have raised eyebrows across the league because they haven't been very aggressive in free agency. They let linebacker Devin Lloyd and running back Travis Etienne test free agency, and didn't make a big effort to replace either one. Sure, they inked running Chris Rodriguez, who could turn into a steady contributor, but that's not the kind of move that will garner headlines.
In fact, Rodriguez is the only external free agent the front office has added, and he won't count toward the compensation formula because the Washington Commanders didn't tender him. Having said that, it's all by design. Leaving aside that Jacksonville isn't particularly swimming in cap space, the team doesn't have nearly as many needs as in 2025. If that wasn't enough, general manager James Gladstone is trying to amass assets for the future.
Of course, the team's lack of activity could raise concerns among fans, "Why aren't the Jaguars doing more?" That might've compelled Gladstone to lay out his strategy.
The Jaguars are collecting ammo to make further moves down the road
Two days into free agency, James Gladstone met with the local media. He said that the Jags don't have nearly as many needs as a year ago. This has allowed them to garner compensatory picks from the players who have left.
"Quite a bit different than a year ago today, right? We came out of the gates, what you might call us hot, signing double-digit free agents, external free agents, right off the bat, a year ago," Gladstone stated when asked why the Jags haven't been more aggressive (2:23 mark). "And the whole approach to that cycle was raise the floor of the football team, and that was a part of it. We're at a stage now where a higher volume of draft capital is what we're hunting up in those compensatory."
Gladstone then explains that accumulating draft picks gives Jacksonville ammo to make trades down throughout the year, citing the trades for Jakobi Meyers and Tim Jones as examples.
"In return, by not signing any outside free agents, we recoup 2027 draft capital. And I think on its surface, you would think, Oh, okay, you're going to make picks in 2027, whereas in reality, those draft picks, and having more of them actually allows you the luxury of remaining in the hunt at different goals throughout the calendar year for acquiring players. You think about training camp a year ago and using a day three pick to acquire a wide receiver in Tim Patrick."
Gladstone continued, "You think about ahead of the trade deadline and being able to use two picks on day three to acquire a wide receiver in Jacoby Myers. Without that draft capital at your disposal, you may not be as willing or able to relinquish some of those future picks by building that up now, it allows us the luxury of remaining sort of with the flexibility to do those sorts of things as we move into the next stages of the offseason and into the regular season, we'll go to."
As NFL analyst Sigmund Bloom stated on social media, the Jags already have three compensatory picks in 2027 after losing cornerback Greg Newsome, Travis Etienne, and Devin Lloyd. They could be handy to maneuver in this year's draft or trade for players up until the November deadline.
The Jaguars will make calculated moves in free agency and the rest of the offseason
Don't expect the Jaguars to deviate from their strategy unless they find a player they truly love. That may not be necessarily appealing, but as James Gladstone stated, Jacksonville was active last year because it wanted to raise the roster floor. Since then, the team has improved significantly, so it doesn't require nearly as many upgrades as it did.
Of course, the Jaguars can trade for players, as they don't affect the compensatory formula. While Maxx Crosby may be out of the question, perhaps James Gladstone can call the Arizona Cardinals and inquire about Josh Sweat, who could give the pass rush a massive boost.
It could be a bit frustrating to watch the Jaguars stay put while other teams are signing players left and right. However, they entered the offseason with a thought-out strategy and won't deviate from it.