The Jacksonville Jaguars are dealing with a cap crunch. So before they try to re-sign their pending free agents ot attempt to make a handful of signings, they'll need to free up cap space. Having said that, recent news should make them breathe a sigh of relief.
NFL teams were expected to work with a salary cap of around $279 million this year. However, a league insider just broke the news that the ceiling will go up.
The Jaguars and other NFL teams are getting a salary cap boost in 2026
Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reported that the league projects a salary cap in the range of $301.2 million to $305.7 million per club in 2026, adding that it represents a significant jump from the original number.
The increased amount will immediately help the Jaguars get out of the red. That said, they'll still be around $9 milllion over the cap even after the bump, so they'll need to restructure a handful of contracts and maybe even release a handful of players to ensure they have enough space to lock up as many pending free agents as possible.
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The Jaguars still have to make a handful of tough decisions ahead of free agency
Currently, running back Travis Etienne, cornerback Montaric Brown, and linebacker Devin Lloyd are the most prominent Jaguars' free agents. The truth is that it may not be realistic to re-sign all three. Compounding the issue is that there are a handful of lesser-known players also slated to hit the open market that Jacksonville needs to consider bringing back.
Linebacker Dennis Gardeck and wide receiver Tim Patrick didn't have featured roles last year, but neither had a featured role. Nevertheless, both are valuable contributors, and the Jags should consider bringing them back. The same is true for tight end Quintin Morris, an offseason addition that worked his way up the depth chart and carved a niche as a pass-blocker.
So let's say the Jags are $9 million over the cap, they would need to free up between $30 million and $40 million to extend some of their own free agents and have enough left to make one or two signings in free agency.
Releasing defensive tackle Arik Armstead and offensive lineman Chuma Edoga could certainly help the front office get it done. Similarly, reworking the deals of DaVon Hamilton, Josh Hines-Allen, and possibly linebacker Foyesade Oluokun would get them closer to the goal.
Simply put, the Jaguars still have their work cut out for them even after the salary cap bump. That said, they may be able to retain a player they didn't expect or make a meaningful signing in free agency because of it. Heck, any help will be more than welcome, and general manager James Gladstone won't complain any time soon.