5 prominent Jacksonville Jaguars players who might not be back next year

2. Jacksonville Jaguars player who could leave in 2024: Calvin Ridley, WR

Wait! Wide receiver Calvin Ridley hasn't played a snap for the Jaguars and you're already shipping him out? While the Jaguars would surely like to keep the Alabama product for years to come, they find themselves facing an interesting conundrum.

The Jags traded a conditional pick that can be as high as a second-rounder if Ridley signs a contract extension. The team's brass won't probably mind giving up that selection and throwing bags of cash to the Florida native if they make a deep playoff run or even the Super Bowl as he expects.

The issue is that the front office will probably be working with a finite amount of cap space and won't be able to bring back most of their star players. Trevor Lawrence will be eligible for a contract extension after 2023 and the longer Jacksonville waits, the higher the price tag will be. In fact, don't be surprised if the former Clemson Tiger becomes the first $55 million quarterback in the NFL.

Ridley is set to count $11.11 million against the cap in the last year of his rookie deal. The Jags could use the franchise tag if they want to retain him beyond 2023 but giving him a long-term deal and pushing some of the guarantees into the latter years might be the best course of action, as they would have a bit of leeway to sign other players.

It's true that Ridley hasn't played football for more than a year but all signs point toward him having a comeback season in 2023. If he does, teams will line up to pay him in free agency, which is why the Jags should get ahead of the curve and pay him, or else run the risk of losing him next offseason.