Despite constant offseason speculation, Arik Armstead is still a Jacksonville Jaguar.

After a 2025 season that saw him struggle, partly due to being hampered by a hand injury over the final six games, there was speculation that the veteran would find himself a salary cap casualty.

Jacksonville could have saved $14.5 million in cap space by cutting Armstead, money that could have been used on any number of free agent acquisitions.

Except, Jacksonville barely made any free agent acquisitions, and Armstead remained.

Then it was expected that he would be a June 1 cut, where any dead money could be spread out over two seasons. Jacksonville trading for another defensive tackle, Ruke Orhorhoro, only added more fuel to the speculation.

June 1 came and went, yet Armstead remained a Jaguar.

While people continue to wonder whether Armstead will be released, it seems likely he will stay on the team for the upcoming season.

Armstead spoke with Ryan O'Halloran of The Florida Times-Union and was open about his struggles last year and the rumors that he would be cut.

When O'Halloran insisted that he believed the team had made a final decision to keep him on the roster for 2026 and that cutting him now would be very "unprofessional," Armstead replied that the decision was not up to him.

"We'll see," Armstead replied. "My focus is being the best self and the best player I can be. That's all I can control."

It must be nerve-wracking to have your name mentioned as a cut candidate for months, and not know what the future holds. However, Armstead's ability to handle the rumors and only focus on what he can control speaks to his mental toughness.

Armstead acknowledged that he was aware of the chatter, and it was impossible to ignore.

"That's the nature of the business. It's impossible to ignore the chatter. Everyone has social media and there is no ignoring anything and even if you're not on social media, somebody will tell you about it or ask you about it," he said.

All of the talk about Armstead being cut would make someone think he was terrible last year. He wasn't.

Armstead finished second on the team with 5.5 sacks, even though his injury saw his snap count limited over the final six games. He spoke about the injury and how it affected him.

"I was playing with one hand for six games," he explained. "Couldn't play as many snaps because it was hard to play the run with just one hand, so I was limited to [pass-rush] situations. As I got more comfortable [with the cast], I was able to be somewhat effective, but couldn't grab [his blocker] and couldn't do certain moves."

Now that he is healthy again, Armstead is ready to bounce back in 2026 and be the player he was before the injury.

Armstead gets a fair share of criticism simply for being signed by Jacksonville's old regime, led by former general manager Trent Baalke. 

While Baalke did overpay for Armstead, the veteran is still a solid player. The fact that the team has kept him these past two years shows they still believe he can be an important player.

Since Jacksonville didn't do much to improve its pass-rush over the offseason, Armstead's ability to create pressure and get sacks from the interior is being counted on to make a huge impact for the Jaguars this year.

The Jaguars have likely decided to keep Armstead for the 2026 season. Now it is up to him to prove they made the right decision.

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