This time last year, the Jacksonville Jaguars sat with the most available cap space in the entire NFL. General Manager Trent Baalke went for a value strategy instead of using that space to spend big on top-tier free agents, but that tactic looks questionable in hindsight, to say the least. The team didn’t improve much from its 1-15 finish in 2020, going 3-14 and picking first overall once again.
However, the team may have a chance to rectify that mistake this offseason. Once again, the team has among the most available cap space in the league. Though the official number isn’t yet known, Over the Cap predicts that Jacksonville will have about $61.2 million to spend this offseason.
That would rank third in the NFL behind only the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers. The overall cap number for each NFL team hasn’t been determined, but it’s expected to be boosted to around $208 million after it was reduced due to COVID-19.
The Jaguars don’t have a lot of big contracts on the books, but the players with the biggest cap hits (and the only ones in eight figures) will be cornerback Shaquill Griffin ($16.5 million) and linebacker Myles Jack ($13.2 million).
However, they do have several decisions to make with impending free agents, namely receiver DJ Chark Jr. and offensive tackle Cam Robinson. Chark has been productive throughout his career despite poor quarterback play, but he missed almost the entire 2021 season with an ankle fracture. He could be a franchise tag candidate, but regardless of how the Jags do it, they need to keep him around. The receiving corps this year struggled mightily without him, and Jacksonville can’t afford to move on from a promising young receiver.
Robinson, meanwhile, played under the franchise tag in 2021. He was solid if not overly impressive, but he did make a decent case for sticking around. The Jaguars could tag him again, but that would make his 2022 deal even more lucrative than it was this season. If they choose to offer him a long-term contract, he will likely want a big deal in line with the other top tackles in the league.
Still, even if the Jags offer both Chark and Robinson multi-year extensions, they should have plenty of cap space to work with. After last year’s offseason proved to be disappointing, it seems likely the team will be a bit more aggressive in pursuing talented players in free agency this time around.
