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5 Jacksonville Jaguars players who must be extended after the cap spike

• The Jaguars will have a bit of extra cap space to work with in 2024. They should consider using it to extend one (or two) of the following players.

By Carlos Sanchez

Oct 19, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16)
Oct 19, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) / Matthew Hinton-USA TODAY Sports
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The NFL salary cap for 2024 is set at $255.4 million, $13 million more than originally expected. This will give teams the chance to make moves that they hadn't previously contemplated this offseason. The Jacksonville Jaguars, in particular, should have an easier time retaining wide receiver Calvin Ridley and outside linebacker Josh Allen.

The Jags could also keep at least a couple players they were thinking of releasing. On top of that, the extra amount of space should incentivize them to give a handful of key contributors an extension, even if they have one or two years left on their current deals.

So which players should Jacksonville consider extending after the salary cap spike? For the sake of clarity, Allen and Ridley didn't make the cut because their respective contracts already expired. Similarly, other pending free agents didn't pop up on this list. With that out of the way, here are five players the Jags should sign to long-term deals in 2024.

5. Walker Little, offensive tackle

The Jaguars have yet to find a role for Walker Little. A second-round pick in the 2021 draft, Little has filled in for Cam Robinson at times the past three years. He competed with Jawaan Taylor for the right tackle job in 2022 but ended up losing.

There's a strong chance Jacksonville will move on from Robinson to free up cap space. If they do, Little should be the first in line to replace him, but if the coaching staff moves sophomore Anton Harrison to the left side, they should then try out Little at right tackle.

Either way, Little has flashed in relief of Robinson. If given the opportunity, he could seize a starting job, and the Jaguars could most definitely benefit from giving him a new deal before he has a breakout year. The former Stanford Cardinal is entering the last year of his rookie deal and could agree to a two or three-year extension that pays him somewhere along the line of $15 million, which would put him in the top 25 among offensive tackles in 2024.

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