With a top-tier pass defense, the Jaguars face tough decisions. Who stays and who goes to secure another winning season?
On Friday, the Jacksonville Jaguars bolstered their defensive secondary by re-signing free agents Christian Braswell and Keith Taylor.
The pass defense of the Jaguars in 2025 was outstanding. They logged 107 passes defended, 22 interceptions (No. 2 in the NFL), were third in the league in interception rate with 3.13 and scored 110 points off takeaways, which was tops in the NFL. That is significant when you consider that the Jaguars fielded several starting rotations throughout the season because of injuries.
Still, three members of that unit remain on the impending free-agent list.
In previous coverage in our "Prioritizing Jags' Potential Free-Agent Re-Signing" series, we've taken a closer look at impending free agents on offense and those among the ranks of edges and linebackers.
Here, we take a look at the remaining defenders to be re-signed, by priority.
3. Cornerback Greg Newsome II
Newsome is an unrestricted free agent in 2026 and will most likely be with a different team come September. A five-year veteran out of Northwestern, Newsome recorded 52 tackles, two tackles for loss and one interception in 12 games with the Jaguars. Newsome was traded to the Jaguars at mid-season last year from the Browns, a former first-round pick of the Browns in 2021.
Newsome’s market value is $27 million over three years, and represents a $7 million cap hit for the Jaguars in 2026, according to Over the Cap.
2. Cornerback Montaric Brown
The talented Brown, out of Arkansas, posted 51 tackles, 12 passes defended and two interceptions last season. However, with the team moving Travis Hunter to cornerback full-time in 2026, Brown is expendable and is not expected to re-sign with the team. Brown has a market value of $9.2 million, and his projected cap hit is $3.4 million.
1. Safety Andrew Wingard
A seven-year veteran of the league out of Wyoming, Wingard is not under contract currently and is an unrestricted free agent. Last season, Wingard recorded 84 tackles, one interception, three tackles for loss, nine passes defended, and one fumble recovery.
With a market value of $11.7 million, Wingard represents a cap hit to the team for 2026 is $0.
The Jaguars finished the 2025 season ranked eighth in the league in points allowed and 11th in passing yards allowed, a substantial improvement over the 2024 season.
The Jaguars have cap restraints; they are an estimated $9.2 million over the salary cap, which will hinder their ability to retain some players. As stated before, some of the Jaguars players would have to agree to restructure their contracts to spread the terms over a longer time to reduce the financial impact.
Free agency opens March 11.
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