
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars have some big decisions on the horizon, but first they must work to get their cap space in order,
The NFL announced the salary cap for the 2026 season last Friday, with the number now hitting $301.2 million. With that info now on the table, we know exactly how much Jaguars and general manager James Gladstone will have to adjust for when it comes to the start of the league year.
According to Over The Cap, the Jaguars currently rank No. 30 in cap space and are $16,902,005 over the cap. This means the Jaguars still have a number of moves to make before the league year begins at 4 p.m. next Wednesday, giving them a little less than a week to get the cap in order.
The Jaguars, as predicted, opted not to franchise tag either Devin Lloyd or Travis Etienne earlier this week. Doing so would have been quite the obstacle for the Jaguars to work around, which means each is now likely set to hit free agency officially. With the Jaguars already having plenty of work to do to get under the cap before each hits free agency, it feels like the Jaguars are better off letting someone else pay each.
The Jaguars do have a number of candidates on their roster to restructure. They could save over $17.5 million if they restructure Foyesade Oluokun, Arik Armstead, and Walker Little, and there are other restructure candidates like Ezra Cleveland. The Jaguars could also opt to release or trade any of the aforementioned options, creating some flexability but eating some dead money.
Jacksonville already re-signed their top free agents during the regular-season, signing Jakobi Meyers and Cole Van Lanen to big extensions before the season ended. As a result, the Jaguars' other free agent moves this cycle have been relatively limited and has centered more around backups and depth pieces.
The Jaguars could look to create cap savings in one major way by finding a way to extend former No. 1 pick Travon Walker. Walker is set to play on a fully-guaranteed fifth-year option, and extending Walker now would drive his price down considerably.
Make sure you follow along with this tracker as we update it ahead of free agency with each move the Jaguars make. We know they have several on the horizon, and here is where you will find all of them.
More must-reads:
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!