One of their biggest storylines surrounding the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason is that they're dealing with cap constraints; that their dearth of cap space has prevented them from being aggressive in free agency. And that's not entirely wrong.
The Jags were around $16 million over the cap before the tampering period commenced. After a series of moves, they've managed to get out of the red and get a bit of space, which the team's brass used to re-sign some of their own players and add running back Chris Rodriguez.
Following the first wave of free agency, Jacksonville has $7 million in space but may still need a bit more to either get its draft class under contract or make another signing down the road. Working in their favor is that they have several candidates for restructuring. Having said that, a Jaguars beat report says that the front office won't touch a potential cap casualty nor rework his deal.
The Jaguars don't plan to tweak Arik Armstead's contract
During an appearance on Locked on Jaguars, Mia O'Brien of ESPN said that Arik Armstead probably won't have his contract restructured (51:00 mark).
This comes as a bit of a shock because Armstead is one of the few players the Jags could release to clear space. The 2015 first-round pick has a cap hit of $19.3 million for 2026. Making him a post-June 1 cut would free up $14.4 million in space with $4.9 million in dead money. Then again, it's easy to see why the team's brass would be opposed to giving him the axe.
For starters, the Jaguars probably don't want to push more dead money to future years. They're precisely dealing with cap hurdles because the past regime made bad moves in previous years. They surely don't want to be in the same position in 2027.
Moreover, Armstead is the team's only true game-altering talent at defensive tackle. Although he was slowed down by a hand injury in 2025, the former Oregon Duck was the only Jackosonville player who made an impact on the interior defensive line.
Granted, DaVon Hamilton excelled against the run, but he didn't do a good job of getting after the quarterback. Similarly, Maason Smith was expected to make progress but instead took a step back. Matt Dickerson, who re-signed in February, is also in the mix, but he's better suited for a rotational role.
Why it makes sense to stay put with Arik Armstead
When you add it all up, it's easy to see why the Jags would want to keep Arik Armstead around without affecting their future cap. It's also worth noting that although he's the only legitimate cap casualty candidate, there are other ways the Jaguars could free up space.
Jacksonville could trade left tackle Walker Little and free up more than $10 million in space. On the other hand, Davon Hamilton, linebacker Foyesade Oluokun, or edge rusher Josh Hines-Allen could have their contracts reworked.
Simply put, the Jaguars may want to look for other ways to free up cap space without touching Arik Armstead's contract. That could turn out to be the best course of action if they want to move on from him next year without any cap repercussions.