Jaguars face impossible choice with 3 breakout stars who all deserve new deals

The Jacksonville Jaguars will have their work cut out in 2026. After adding reinforcements to nearly all position groups, they'll need to keep addressing the larger scale roster if they want to build off the promising start to the Liam Coen era. One of the top items on their to-do list will be to decide what to do with a handful of free agents.

Running back Travis Etienne and linebacker Devin Lloyd will most likely be the team's biggest priorities. On top of that, Travon Walker will be entering a contract year in 2026. That said, a handful of less prominent Jaguars who are set to hit the open market next year have done enough to warrant new deals. The following three, in particular, come to mind.

Cole Van Lanen, Jaguars offensive lineman

Cole Van Lanen originally landed in Jacksonville via trade just before the start of the 2022 season. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers the year prior, but their offensive line was stacked, so they no longer had room for him.

Although Cole Van Lanen didn't do much of note early in his stint with the Jags, he became a key depth piece when the new regime arrived. In fact, he performed so well that the team's brass traded Fred Johnson to the Eagles before the start of the 2025 season despite the fact that he had just been signed a few months earlier.

With the new regime's vote of confidence, Cole Van Lanen has flourished, appearing in 11 games and making a career-high five starts this season. What's impressive is that those five starts have come at different positions. And that's the thing, the former Wisconsin Badger has lined up at all positions up front but center. Couple that with the fact that he's given up just one sack and 10 total pressures, and he's most definitely in line for a raise.

Montaric Brown, Jaguars cornerback

The Jaguars have given their cornerback a makeover this year. They released Ronald Darby early in the offseason and traded Tyson Campbell before the deadline. On the other hand, they acquired Greg Newsome, signed Jourdan Lewis, and drafted two-way star Travis Hunter. One of the few constants has been Montaric Brown.

A seventh-round pick in 2022, Brown worked his way up the depth chart and had earned meaningful snaps by his sophomore campaign when injuries pressed him into action. Then, in 2024, the Jaguars benched Ronald Darby in favor of the former Arkansas Razorback. Having said that, it wasn't until this season that he truly hit his stride.

Brown was having a strong offseason and was making a legitimate bid for a featured role before he suffered a leg injury. But once he was back, he picked up where he left off. His numbers may not pop off the stat sheet, but he's been reliable, playing 10 games with seven starts and allowing a 63.6 percent completion rate when targeted.

With Newsome also scheduled to become a free agent, the Jaguars must strongly consider bringing Brown back.

Jakobi Meyers, Jaguars receiver

Before the BYE, the Jaguars were having trouble with drops, and Trevor Lawrence was lacking a reliable target in underneath routes in the middle of the field. Jakobi Meyers has changed that.

Since being traded to the Jags, Meyers has become Lawrence's most trusted target. That's clearly evident in his passer rating, which has gone up from 73.7 (Weeks 1 to 9) to 106.7 in the past four games. Simply, he's been a difference-maker.

As Dan Griffis of Action Sports Jax noted, Meyers has parlayed his play into a new deal. Thus far, he's had no drops and posted a jaw-dropping catch rate of 85.7 percent. If that wasn't enough, the former North Carolina State Bulldog has led Jacksonville in yards in three of four games since his arrival.

Meyers has been wanting a new contract dating back to the offseason. Heck, that was one of the reasons he had requested a trade from the Las Vegas Raiders. And based on his production, do you blame him?