Jaguars Likely To Keep Arik Armstead

Armstead, the 15th pick in the 2015 draft, spent his first nine seasons in San Francisco. After the 49ers released him in a cost-cutting move in 2024, he landed in Jacksonville on a three-year, $51MM deal. Now entering the last year of the contract, Armstead will count a hefty $19.39MM against the cap. Releasing or trading Armstead would save the Jaguars $14.49MM in cap space this year, but they would have to spread $17.1MM in dead money over the next two seasons.

Thirty-three games into his Jags tenure, Armstead’s production has been closer to modest than excellent. Although he played a full season in 2024, he only started one game. While logging a 47.58% snap share, Armstead recorded 29 tackles, seven quarterback hits, three TFL and two sacks.

Armstead took on a bigger role during defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile‘s first year on the job in 2025, leading to better numbers in multiple categories. Over 16 games (11 starts) and 56.48% of snaps, Armstead chipped in 28 tackles, eight QB hits, seven TFL and 5.5 sacks. The 6-foot-7, 290-pounder offered above-average work in the estimation of Pro Football Focus, which ranked his performance a respectable 47th among 120 interior D-linemen.

Unless the Jaguars unexpectedly get rid of Armstead in the next couple of months, he will once again start alongside nose tackle DaVon Hamilton in 2026. The Jaguars have brought in a couple of newcomers as depth, as they traded Maason Smith to the Falcons for Ruke Orhorhoro in a D-tackle swap and then drafted Albert Regis in the third round. While Orhorohoro and Regis could be long-term pieces, O’Halloran says that Armstead realizes this will be his last season in Jacksonville. If that proves to be the case, he will return to free agency next March at the age of 33.