The Jacksonville Jaguars are dealing with a cap crunch. So before they try to re-sign some of their free agents or make a few signings, they'll need to free up cap space. To get it done, the Jags have several routes. They could first restructure a few contracts, but that alone won't get them out of the red.
In order to have a bit of cap relief in free agency, the front office will need to cut ties with a handful of veterans. And an NFL analyst recently brought up three potential candidates.
Arik Armstead headlines a list of potential Jaguars cap casualties
Alex Ballentine drew up a list of possible cap casualties for every NFL team and chose a trio of veterans for the Jaguars: Arik Armstead, DaVon Hamilton, and Ezra Cleveland.
Regarding Armstead, Ballentine cites production and age as a couple of reasons the Jags could cut ties with him. On the other hand, it would only save $2.3 million in space.
"Cutting Arik Armstead would grow their dead cap number by $17.1 million while only offering $2.3 million in relief," Ballentine wrote. "Still, the Jags might consider it given his age (32) and production (16 total pressures)."
While it's true that the Jaguars would only free up a marginal amount of space if they release Armstead before June 1, doing it afterward would allow them to save as much as $14.4 million with just $4.9 million in dead money in 2026 (and $12.2 million next year).
The Jags signed Armstead to a three-year deal worth $43.5 million in 2024. He was unremarkable that year but showed notable improvement early in 2025. That said, the former Oregon Duck dealt with a hand injury and faded down the stretch. Still, he's the team's best defensive tackle, so cutting him would sting.
Aside from Armstead, Ballentine also mentioned DaVon Hamilton and Ezra Cleveland as probably cap casualties. Below is his reasoning for bringing up the former:
"The Jaguars could look to the interior of their defensive line for what little saving they can get from cuts. Hamilton is only going to be 29 next season, but it's hard to say he played up to his pay last season. He's set to cost the Jags $12.4 million," Ballentine said.
A third-round pick in 2020, Hamilton has been a mainstay of the Jacksonville defensive line for years. He's not much of a pass rusher but is a stud against the run, which makes him a valuable piece in Anthony Campanile's defense.
Last but not least is Cleveland. Releasing him would free up $4 million in space, but as Ballentine noted, he's Jacksonville's best interior hog molly, which may give the team pause.
"He's the best of the Jaguars starting interior trio on the offensive line. That's not something that Liam Coen is going to want to mess with."
Although injuries prevented Cleveland from hitting his stride after being traded to the Jags in 2023, he put it all together last year. It seemed like the former Boise State Bronco was going to compete with rookie Wyatt Milum for his job, but he's firmly entrenched at left guard heading into 2026.
The Jaguars can free up cap space without having to cut Arik Armstead or DaVon Hamilton
James Gladstone has proven that he's not afraid to cut ties with prominent veterans if that will help him address the larger scale roster. Last season, he traded Christian Kirk and released Gabe Davis and Evan Engram. For that reason, nobody would bat an eye if Arik Armstead or DaVon Hamilton are next. That said, the Jags could still free up cap space without having to release either one.
If Gladstone thinks Armstead and Hamilton can still be part of the team's future, he could restructure their contracts, convert some of their 2026 base salary into a signing bonus, and spread the cap hit to future years. Sure, that could leave dead money down the road, but it would get the Jags much-needed cap relief.
The fact that the Jaguars must free up cap space isn't up for debate. How they accomplish it remains to be seen, but it's a storyline worth monitoring in the upcoming weeks.