Although the Jacksonville Jaguars managed to create the cap space to comply with league rules just before free agency starts, it may not be enough to keep linebacker Devin Lloyd from leaving.
Sure, the Jags will continue to make moves to create further space. However, Lloyd is poised to get a top-market deal, and it's hard to picture general manager James Gladstone getting into a bidding war with other teams to re-sign him. The silver lining of the 2025 Second-Team All-Pro tests free agency is that losing him may not be nearly as bad as it appears to be.
Devin Lloyd came through for the Jaguars but also struggled in one key area
Bill Barnwell of ESPN talked about the best defensive players set to be available in free agency. He said that Devin Lloyd was a different player in 2025 but still struggled against the run. Here's the skinny.
"He racked up five picks, including that pick-six of Patrick Mahomes that fueled a famous Jags victory. The effort concerns disappeared," Barnwell wrote. "Lloyd managed 1.5 sacks and 10 knockdowns as a blitzer. He wasn't a great run defender, as Lloyd took longer to make tackles on run plays (5.1 seconds) than any regular off-ball linebacker in the league and made both run tackles and stuffs at below-average rates. But Lloyd was impactful enough against the pass to earn a deserved trip to the Pro Bowl."
Barnwell goes on to say that the true Lloyd is "likely somewhere in between," pointing out that he may have trouble racking up five picks on a consistent basis. Nevertheless, he still believes the 2021 first-round pick can be a valuable player on a competitive team.
All things considered, Barnwell made a fair assessment of Lloyd, talking about his strengths and weaknesses. The issue is that he'll be paid a premium as a top-3 linebacker, even if he may not be at that level.
This doesn't mean Lloyd is a bad player. Far from it, but there's a chance a team may end up overpaying for him and feel disappointed when he fails to meet expectations. That led Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report to call the veteran linebacker "a free-agent bust waiting to happen."
Re-signing Devin Lloyd may have never been on the table for the Jaguars
Losing Devin Lloyd would be a huge blow to the Jaguars defense. Then again, it's possible that they had already braced themselves for his potential departure. After all, the team's brass declined to pick up the fifth-year option on his rookie deal because he left a bit to be desired in past years. That the former Utah Ute managed to break out in 2025 was most definitely a pleasant surprise. However, his banner season may not steer Jacksonville away from the original plan of letting him leave.
At this point, it's hard to see the Jags making a big effort to re-sign Lloyd. He's projected to make more than $15 million and as much as $20 million in free agency. They simply won't be able to compete with teams that make him that kind of contract offer.
If Lloyd leaves, as expected, the Jags could look for bargain replacements in free agency. Nakobe Dean or Quay Walker won't be necessarily cheap but will be more affordable than Lloyd. Another route would be to go after Jacob Rodriguez or Anthony Hill Jr. in the draft.
Either way, the Jaguars have options to replace Devin Lloyd, and most of them will be cheaper than re-signing him.