The Jaguars aim for draft dominance. See how losing star players actually fuels their pursuit of invaluable compensatory picks.
On the surface, the free agency period has not been kind to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who saw their top two free agents walk in the early signing period.
Both Devin Lloyd and Travis Etienne Jr. had become staples of Jags football, but after failing to franchise tag either player, a reunion seemed more and more unlikely.
Sure enough, Lloyd signed a three-year, $45 million deal with the Carolina Panthers, while Etienne joined the New Orleans Saints for four-year, $52 million.
CBS Sports gave the Jags a D-grade for their free agency, highlighting the losses of their All-Pro level players and reluctance to improve on the outside.
However, Jaguars general manager James Gladstone made headlines at his most recent press conference, explaining how losing Etienne and Lloyd may be a blessing in disguise.
“We’re at a stage now where a higher volume of draft capital is what we’re hunting, and those compensatory picks,” Gladstone said.
The Jaguars are in line to receive three compensatory picks, a fourth, fifth and sixth round selection. The fourth and fifth round picks are courtesy of Lloyd and Etienne's departures with the sixth coming from cornerback Greg Newsome II, who signed a 1-year, $10 million contract with the New York Giants.
Gladstone complimented these players for their ability to command a high price on the open market, while backing up his strategy to build through the draft.
“High-priced free agents of ours ended up signing elsewhere, well-deserved contracts,” Gladstone said. “They did their part to put themselves in really sound positions to earn that. Excited for all those guys. In return, by not signing any outside free agents, we recoup 2027 draft capital.”
He also added that having this capital can be crucial for making mid-season moves, which Jacksonville has taken advantage of over the past few seasons. Last year, the Jags bolstered their receiving unit by trading for Tim Patrick just before the season and Jakobi Meyers in November. The fleecing of Meyers from the Raiders, might have been the steal of the year.
Meyers was a seamless fit in head coach Liam Coen's offense, accumulating 483 yards and three touchdowns in just nine games with the Jags. He was rewarded with a three-year, $60 million extension, keeping him in Duval through 2028.
“You think about training camp a year ago and using a Day 3 pick to acquire a wide receiver in Tim Patrick. You think about ahead of the trade deadline and being able to use two picks on Day 3 to acquire a wide receiver in Jakobi Meyers," Gladstone said. "Without that draft capital at your disposal, you may not be as willing or able to relinquish some of those future picks."
He emphasized that this draft capital gives the team more flexibility to make moves when needed, keeping the Jags aggressive throughout the season.
Although the Jaguars were unable to bring back their heavy hitting free agents, Gladstone seems to have a clear vision for how he wants to build this team through the draft.
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