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

1. Jacksonville Jaguars player who could leave in 2024: Josh Allen, OLB

Turnover isn't just expected but inevitable in the NFL due to salary cap rules but good teams always find ways to keep their stars from leaving. The Jaguars, for one, have started to do a better job of retaining their own players but one look at their current roster and their 2019 counterpart shows how many changes they've undergone over the last four years.

Back in 2019, many of the players that helped the Jaguars reached the AFC Championship two years prior were still on the roster. Heck, they even have a few Pro Bowlers and seemed poised to be even better in 2020 due to the rise of Gardner Minshew but they instead ended up going 1-15.

One reason the Jags regressed in 2020 was that then-general manager Dave Caldwell seemed more interested in hoarding draft picks than rewarding his own players. Between 2019 and 2020, defensive end Calais Campbell, cornerback A.J. Bouye, defensive end Calais Campbell and cornerback Jalen Ramsey were shipped out of town.

Out of that 2019 defensive core, only former first-round pick Josh Allen remains and he was a rookie that year. The former Kentucky Wildcat logged 10.5 sacks and made the Pro Bowl in his first NFL season but he hasn't logged more than 7.5 in a season ever since.

While sacks aren't the only way to measure a pass rusher's success, they're still an important metric, one in which Allen's been lagging. Maybe that's a reason why the Jaguars haven't given him a multi-year extension and are comfortable taking a wait-and-see approach.

On the other hand, Allen is the team's best pass rusher and a valuable piece on the Jaguars' front seven. On top of that, he racked up pressures at the fourth-best rate in the league last year and his presence allows his teammates to make plays. This is why losing him next offseason would be a big blow to the pass-rush rotation.

Travon Walker could lessen the impact of Allen's potential departure but the Jaguars don't have many other proven options. As it is, the Jaguars' pass rush needs a boost, and losing Allen in 2024 could make things even worse.

In the end, it may come down to the kind of contract Allen is seeking and the amount of money the Jaguars will be willing to spend. But if they can't strike a deal, Allen will be wearing another uniform in 2024.