JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Unusual times have fallen upon the Jacksonville Jaguars. After the first two days of legal tampering, the Jaguars still have yet to agree to terms with an external free agent. In fact, they are just one of three teams (Seahawks, Broncos) yet to do so.
From 2020-2024, the Jaguars spent the second-most amount of money ($717 million) in Free Agency, a stark contrast to the team’s offseason approach thus far into 2026. The team has signed a few players of their own, but the approach has been rather methodical otherwise.
That begs the question: Should Jaguars’ fans be concerned with the slow start to Free Agency?
It’s no secret that the NFL Draft is the most efficient method for roster building. The best teams in the NFL consistently spend the least amount of money in Free Agency, opting to sign role players instead of seeking the homerun contracts.
The data on the value of Free Agency is inconclusive at best. It can provide teams with an easy way to upgrade, see Calais Campbell as a prime example, or leave teams in ruin, scrambling to cover up for their financial mistakes.
Looking back to the 2024 offseason, 116 free agents signed multi-year contracts worth at least $4 million a year. Of those 116 players, just 57.8% of players are still on the rosters with the teams they signed with, according to OverTheCap. A sub 60% hit rate just two years later is not very promising.
When you dig a little deeper, the problem only worsens. Of players who signed two-year deals, just 43.5% of players actually completed the full duration of their deals, while 64% and 69% of players who signed three and four-year deals remain rostered today. Again, we are just two years removed, so these figures only stand to worsen with years left on those longer deals.
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When broken down into APY ranges, 85% of players who signed for $20+ million remain rostered, 78% in the $15-$20 million range, 50% in the $10-$15 million range, 61% in the $7.5-$10 million range, and just 40% of players with an average annual salary of $4-$7.5 million remain rostered on their teams.
The larger salary cap hits likely attained by those larger contracts can make those players difficult to release, so those figures are surely inflated to some degree.
To put the inconsistency of free agency into perspective, let’s look at the Jaguars’ 2024 offseason. The Jaguars signed five players to multi-year deals of $4+ million annually, who failed to complete the duration of their deals.
In fact, they weren’t even close. Gabe Davis, Darnell Savage, Mitch Morse, Josh Reynolds, Ronald Darby, and Devin Duvernay all failed to surpass even 50% of their contract lengths.
Last year, the Jaguars didn’t go for the big fish, opting instead to go after mid-level starters who could raise the team’s floor. That ideology resulted in the additions of Jourdan Lewis, Robert Hainsey, and Eric Murray, all of whom proved to be reliable starters and priceless contributors to the team’s success. The signings of Montaric Brown and Dennis Gardeck this offseason prove the front office is taking a very similar approach.
That said, the Jaguars have been rumored to be involved in talks with some of the bigger pass-rushing names on the market. It’s very clearly a need this offseason, and the Jags seem to be rightfully treating it as such. After all, 32 sacks just isn’t good enough. Luckily, there are still plenty of options at all positions of need for the Jaguars as the NFL new year begins.
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