Montaric Brown’s jaw-dropping INT once again proves Jaguars must re-sign him

The Jacksonville Jaguars enter their Week 15 matchup against the New York Jets as a heavy favorite. They routinely showed why that was the case. Throughout the game, all their playmakers rose to the occasion. One, in particular, cornerback Montaric Brown came up clutch just before halftime.

After Cam Little nailed a 33-yard field goal to make it 24-10, Brown made a diving interception to give the Jags the ball back with less than two minutes left in the second quarter. His pick led to a Travis Etienne touchdown just before the half ended to put Jacksonville up 31-10.

Montaric Brown has turned into a staple of the Jaguars defense

Montaric Brown missed the start of the season with a leg injury. But once he returned, he went on to become a staple of the Jacksonville defense. His impact was clearly evident when he picked up undrafted rookie Brady Cook in Week 15.

This was his second interception of the season, which marks a career best. In the past three years, the 2022 seventh-round selection had totaled just one. Then again, his recent success shouldn't come as a surprise.

Dating back to Organized Team Activities and training camp, Brown made a strong impression and was playing well enough to compete for a starting job. However, he suffered the leg injury that brought his bid to a halt. The good news is that the former Arkansas Razorback picked up where he left off and has most definitely exceeded expectations.

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Montaric Brown is giving the Jaguars a tough free-agency decision

What stands out about Montaric Brown is that Travis Hunter, Jourdan Lewis, and even Tyson Campbell were ahead of him on the depth chart. However, he put his head down, worked his way up, and has gone on to make a career-high nine starts in 2025. Simply, he's done enough to earn a new deal. The question is whether the Jaguars will give it to him.

Jacksonville is slated to have $8 million in space next year, and players such as running back Travis Etienne, and linebacker Devin Lloyd may be higher on their priority list. Couple that with the fact that Hunter was playing extremely well before he underwent knee surgery, and there's a strong chance Brown will hit the open market.

On the other hand, Greg Newsome is also scheduled to become a free agent, and the Jaguars may not want to lose two of their top cornerbacks. If they wanted to bring back one, Brown would most definitely get the nod.

Ultimately, Montaric Brown is on fire right now. The Jaguars will focus on that and won't worry about his contract status until they have to cross that bridge.