The Jacksonville Jaguars knew that they were running out of time to re-sign their own players before the beginning of free agency, so it wasn'tparticularly shocking to see them get off a strong start, locking up linebacker Dennis Gardeck and Montaric Brown to start the tampering period.
By retaining Gardeck and Brown, the Jags are making sure that defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile has plenty of talent to work with. Now, general manager James Gladstone needs to turn his attention to the offense.
The Jaguars need to re-sign Tim Patrick after extending Dennis Gardeck
You could make the case that the Jaguars should make an aggressive effort to re-sign either linebacker Devin Lloyd or running back Travis Etienne, their top two free agents. However, if they had really wanted to get deals done with either one, they would've already done it. After all, Jacksonville re-signed wide receiver Jakobi Meyers and offensive line mainstay Cole Van Lanen last year.
This is a roundabout way to say that it's hard to see the Jags bringing back Lloyd or Etienne because they probably won't be able to meet their contract demands. Instead, they should turn their attention to other pending free agents who may be a bit easier to re-sign. Wide receiver Tim Patrick comes to mind.
After going undrafted in 2018, Patrick landed with the Denver Broncos. He quickly worked his way up the depth chart, and by 2021, he had become an integral piece of their passing game. That year, the former Utah Ute reeled in a career-best 53 catches for 734 yards with five touchdowns. Unfortunately, he would suffered season-ending injury that forced him to miss two consecutive years.
But despite the adversity, Jones' confidence never wavered, so he made the most out of his chances once he joined the Detroit Lions in 2025, registering 33 receptions for 394 yards with three touchdowns.
After his bounce-back campaign, the Jags traded for him just before the start of the regular season because they weren't thrilled with their depth at receiver. Although the San Diego, California native didn't get much playing time early on, he finished the year with 15 receptions for 187 yards with three touchdowns.
Why the Jaguars need to re-sign Tim Patrick next
At 6'5", Patrick gives Trevor Lawrence a huge target in the red zone and third-down situations. It would make sense to re-sign him, even though they aren't expected to part ways with Brian Thomas Jr.
Thomas can stretch the field, while Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers give Lawrence a pair of sure-handed targets in the middle. However, there's value in having a receiver that can win 50/50 balls. Patrick could fill that role, and re-signing him wouldn't be cost-prohibitive.
Last year, Patrick made $1.25 million, and Spotrac expects him to get $3 million this time around. All things considered, that's a deal Jacksonville shouldn't hesitate to make.
Of course, free agency is just beginning, and there are plenty of directions the Jaguars can take. That said, bringing back Tim Patrick makes plenty of sense.