The Jacksonville Jaguars will have their work cut out for them next offseason. Although they did a great job of revamping the roster last offseason, they'll have several tough decisions to make.
Several prominent players are slated to become free agents, and the Jags won't be able to keep many of them. One of them is Andrew Wingard, who's become a key cog in their secondary and a respected locker room voice.
The team's brass would surely like to bring Wingard back, but may have bigger priorities. The silver lining is that Jacksonville may already have the perfect replacement for the veteran safety lined up in case he leaves.
Antonio Johnson might allow the Jaguars to move on from Andrew Wingard
Andrew Wingard began the season as the starter next to Murray but missed the win over the Tennessee Titans after suffering a concussion the week prior. Johnson filled in for him and more than held the fort.
Once Wingard cleared concussion protocol, he got his job back, and he went on to start against the New York Jets. However, Johnson got more defensive snaps and went on to register his third interception of the season. On top of that, his Pro Football Focus overall grade of 93.8 was the highest among any Jaguar on offense and defense.
Wingard will probably start the remainder of the season, but it's hard to keep Johnson on the sidelines in light of his recent success. Even though he struggled against the Arizona Cardinals, his PFF grade of 88.3 is one of the best among safeties in the whole league. His two sacks and three interceptions are also proof of his game-changing skills.
Related: Jakobi Meyer's has quickly re-shaped the Jags' offseason plans
Why the Jaguars could let Andrew Wingard walk in free agency
An undrafted free agent in 2019, Andrew Wingard made the initial 53-man depth chart as a rookie. Although he mostly played special teams, he worked his way up the depth chart and progressively earned more playing time.
By 2021, the former Wyoming Cowboy had joined the starting lineup. He was supplanted by Andre Cisco the following year. It wasn't until 2025 that he once again won the starting job, this time next to Eric Murray.
Along the way, Wingard signed a three-year deal worth $9 million. His contract runs through 2025, and he's scheduled to become a free agent. When you take into account that Jacksonville is slated to work with just $8 million, the front office may prioritize the likes of linebacker Devin Lloyd, running back Travis Etienne, and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers.
Now, there may be mutual interest in working out a deal, but the Jaguars may want to roll with Johnson, who has more upside at this stage of his career, while Wingard may want to see what kind of market he has.
Heck, even if the Jags want to re-sign Dewey, he may have to compete for his job. If that's the case, he may want to look for other opportunities somewhere else.
Why the Jaguars may roll with Antonio Johnson over Andrew Wingard
During the 2023 draft process, Antonio Johnson was projected to go as high as the first round. One huge reason was his ability to line up anywhere in the defensive backfield despite the fact that he was listed as a safety at Texas A&M. Surprisingly, the former Aggie slid to the fifth-round, but it didn't take him long to prove that he had game-altering talent.
As a rookie, Johnson mostly got playing time in the slot, but he performed so well that he earned a prominent role by the end of the 2023 season. Then, Ryan Nielsen took over the defense in 2024, and the East St. Louis, Illinois native struggled. To his credit, he wasn't the only Jaguar who underperformed.
Once a new regime took over in 2025, Johnson got another chance to compete for the starting job. He lost, but once he filled in for Eric Murray and later Andrew Wingard, he showed that he deserves to start.
It's worth noting that Johnson will enter a contract year in 2025. Then again, that could incentivize him to take his game to the next level and join the top echelon of NFL safeties.
For that to happen, though, Antonio Johnson must play well enough the rest of 2025 to give the Jags no choice but to make him the starter.