The Jacksonville Jaguars managed to free up enough cap space to comply with NFL rules just before the start of free agency. Now, they'll need to keep creating space in order to sign their own players and add a few in the open market.
But even if they manage to get plenty of cap relief, the Jags may ultimately have trouble re-signing two of their top free agents, running back Travis Etienne and linebacker Devin Lloyd. That said, there's a chance they may be able to retain cornerback Montaric Brown.
The Jaguars want to keep Montaric Brown, but the Eagles are interested
In a recent column, Dan Graziano of ESPN talked about everything he's hearing ahead of free agency. He said that the Jaguars are making an effort to re-sign cornerback Montaric Brown. However, the tidbit comes with a caveat.
If Jacksonville doesn't lock up Brown, the Philadelphia Eagles are showing interest in going after him. This isn't necessarily shocking when you take into account that they could lose Adoree' Jackson in free agency.
Although Philly has Quinyon Mitchell and nickel Cooper DeJean in the fold, they'll need another starting cornerback if Jackson leaves. Kalee Ringo is in the fold, but he struggled to make an impression last year. That could lead the Eagles to bring in a proven commodity to start opposite Mitchell.
It's also worth noting that Fowler's colleague Dan Graziano previously predicted Philadelphia to sign Brown, who's coming off a breakout season, to a three-year deal worth $30 million.
A seventh-round pick in the 2022 draft, Brown was mostly a reserve early in his career but eventually got ample playing time because of injuries. By 2024, he became the starter once Ronald Darby was benched. However, the former Arkansas Razorback lacked consistency. It wasn't until defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile took over last year that he put it all together.
With Campanile at the helm, Brown became a lockdown corner, registering a career-best two interceptions while giving up a completion rate of just 54.4 percent. Rightly, Jacksonville wants to keep him around, and the Eagles want to call dibs on him.
Re-signing Montaric Brown will make things easier for Montaric Brown
Nobody would blame Montaric Brown if he wants to get the best possible payday. That said, the Jaguars may let him go if they cannot meet his salary demands. If that's how things unfold, the team's brass could have trouble revamping the roster in free agency.
If Jacksonville loses Brown, cornerback will become a top priority. However, there aren't many great options in free agency, so Jacksonville would need to wait until the draft to add reinforcements to the position. The trouble with that strategy is that the pass rush and defensive tackle also need the team's attention.
Of course, the Jaguars could also address the pass rush or the defensive tackle position in free agency, but they could easily take care of both in the draft if Brown stays.
The silver lining of potentially losing Montaric Brown is that the Jaguars have different ways to replace him. Having said that, keeping him around would make things substantially easier.