![Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Dennis Gardeck (47) enters the stadium before an NFL football game at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_112,w_2014,h_1132/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/55/01kgdyvz4v8ydddw5pnf.jpg "Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Dennis Gardeck (47) enters the stadium before an NFL football game at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]")
While most of the attention has (rightly) centered on running back Travis Etienne and linebacker Devin Lloyd, there are other pending free agents the Jacksonville Jaguars will try to re-sign before the start of the league year on March 11. Corneback Montaric Brown comes to mind first, but he's far from the only player the Jags need to consider bringing back.
Heck, there are a handful of unsung contributors who are slated to hit the open market that deserve a new deal. One, in particular, should be at the top of the Jags' priority list.
Dennis Gardeck became a key contributor for the Jaguars in 2025
The Jaguars built a well-rounded linebacker corps last year. Heck, they had one of the top units in the whole NFL, and that was before they signed Dennis Gardeck in the aftermath of the 2025 draft. At the time, the former Sioux Falls product was still recovering from a torn ACL he had suffered the year prior. In fact, that might've been the reason why it took him so long to find a new home after his contract with the Arizona Cardinals expired.
After going undrafted in 2018, Gardeck signed with the Cards. He mostly played special teams his first three NFL seasons. However, he saw an uptick in defensive snaps in 2020 because he displayed the ability to get after the quarterback.
From 2020 to 2024, Gardeck logged 19.5 sacks, and his total tally might've been higher if he hadn't suffered the aforementioned ACL injury. But he did, and he spent most of the last offseason trying to get back to full strength.
Gardeck went on to appear in all 17 games with four starts with the Jaguars, playing 423 snaps on defense (39 percent) and 272 on special teams (61 percent). As a linebacker, he got ample playing time as a blitzer from a standup position. While the Lake in the Hill native ended with just 2.5 sacks, his ability to bring the heat was pivotal to the team's defensive success.
Now, Gardeck is scheduled to become a free agent. This begs the question: Should the Jaguars re-sign him? The answer is painfully obvious.
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Why the Jaguars need to re-sign Dennis Gardeck
The Jacksonville Jaguars are currently dealing with a cap crunch, even after the NFL announced an increase of $20 million. But once they get out of the red, they need to find a way to bring back Dennis Gardeck. The good news is that it shouldn't be cost-prohibitive.
Last year, Gardeck signed a $2 million deal with the Jags. Back in 2022, he inked a three-year extension worth $12 million with the Cards. He most definitely deserves a raise, and it wouldn't be far-fetched to think that a contract like the one he got from Arizona would be enough to keep him around.
Sure, Gardeck may want to get better offers in the open market, but that's why the Jaguars need to make an aggressive effort to lock him up before free agency starts.
Of course, if Dennis Gardeck's contract demands don't fit the Jaguars' budget (let's say $7 million per year), they'll have no choice but to let him walk. Having said that, they would surely love to have him back for a second season.