Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen speaks during a press conference at the Miller Electric Center, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jaguars' Could Be FA's Biggest Winners By Doing ... Nothing

Originally posted on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI
By John Shipley | Last updated Feb 14, 2026 4:19 PM ET

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- For so many offseasons in years past, the Jacksonville Jaguars were offseason champions.

A few times that led to short-lived but enjoyable runs, such as in 2017 and 2022. But there are just as many 2015 and 2024 free agency classes that busted and aged like warm milk for a Jaguars franchise that had been stuck in neutral for most of the last two decades.

With that in mind, it surely feels like times have changed for the Jaguars under Liam Coen, James Gladstone, and Tony Boselli. The Jaguars were active in free agency last season, but even their biggest deal caused few ripples on the free agency market. For now, it appears the offseason champs days are over, at least from the free agency point of view,

Perhaps, though, there is a way the Jaguars can still leave this year's free agency cycle as one of the league's biggest winners by doing, well, nothing.

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A Quiet FA

As things stand today, the Jaguars have several free agents who could garner sizeable deals on the open market if they depart Jacksonville. Linebacker Devin Lloyd might reset the entire linebacker market with whatever deal he brings in, and most anticipate that to not be from the Jaguars' front office.

But Lloyd isn't alone. Travis Etienne could get a hefty deal from a team in need of a spark on offense, while Montaric Brown and Greg Newsome could also have their fair share of fans in the NFL. Andrew Wingard could be a sleeper, too, after the years of tape on him as a starter and as a ace on special teams.

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Perhaps the Jaguars look to bring some of these players back. But even in that event, it surely feels like the majority of this group will sign elsewhere once the free agency window opens next month. And there is a way for the Jaguars to take advantage of this, the same way other top franchises have been able to do year after year: by doing nothing.

If the Jaguars do not sign players to large enough deals to cancel out picks from the compensatory formula -- or as long as the Jaguars sign players who were released and didn't have their deals expire -- then they could get between two and four comp picks for the 2027 NFL Draft. Lloyd would likely net them a third-round pick, too.

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By sitting out of a bad free agency class, the Jaguars could do the right thing for the franchise on a number of fronts. Losing good players is difficult, but this is the way to build and continue the momentum from 2025.

This article first appeared on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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