Cap constraints loom. Discover which key defensive stars the Jaguars must retain to keep their playoff hopes alive.
As the Jacksonville Jaguars approach free agency, for all intents and purposes, they could be on the outside looking in when it comes to acquiring new talent to bolster their roster for the 2026 season. With $9 million over the salary cap, the Jaguars are pretty much mortgaged to hilt.
As reported in previous articles, the only way for the Jaguars to free up some money under the cap is to restructure some big contracts to spread the risk over longer terms. Whether those players would agree to such a restructure is anyone’s guess. The question remains: Who wouldn’t want to be part of a talented roster on a playoff-caliber team?
The Jaguars have 10 defenders on their list of free agents. Here we will rank the defensive linemen and linebackers re-signings, by priority.
All contract figures provided by spotrac.com.
5. Edge Emmanuel Ogbah
Ogbah is a 10-year veteran out of Oklahoma State. He signed a one-year deal with the Jaguars last season for $3.25 million, and recorded just two tackles for loss, 15 tackles, one forced fumble and four quarterback hits. Ogbah’s market value stands at $2.4 million, and he represents a $2 million cap hit.
4. DL Austin Johnson
A Penn State alum, Johnson is a 10-year veteran of the league and signed a one-year contract for $2 million with Jaguars in 2025. In 14 games, Johnson posted one sack, one forced fumble and only four tackles. Johnson’s cap hit/dead cap is $1.9 million/$1.7 million, and his market value is $5.3 million over two years.
3. Edge Dawuane Smoot
A nine-year veteran out of Illinois, Smoot registered just two sacks and 10 tackles last season for the Jaguars. In 2025, Smoot signed a one-year contract with the Jaguars worth $1.5 million. He presents a $1.5 million cap hit/dead cap space to the team, and the market value is also $1.5 million.
2. Edge Dennis Gardeck
Gardeck was an undrafted free agent out of Sioux Falls, and is an 8-year veteran of the league. He signed a one-year deal with the Jaguars in 2025. As of this year, Gardeck represents a cap hit/dead cap space of $1.7 million/$1.5 million. In addition, his market value is $1.5 million.
1. LB Devin Lloyd
Lloyd was the Jaguars first-round pick in the 2022 draft out of Utah, and signed a four-year contract worth $12.9 million, fully guaranteed. With an average annual salary of $3.2 million, Lloyd poses a $14.7 million cap hit. Also, his market value is $60.4 million over a three-year period.
In 2025, Lloyd was named to the Pro Bowl and was named first-team All-Pro by Pro Football Focus (PFF) and second-team All-Pro by the Associated Press (AP). He logged 81 tackles, six tackles for loss, 10 quarterback hits and five interceptions.
As their best defender, the Jaguars are not in the ideal situation to re-sign Lloyd and unless a mutual agreement is chiseled in stone, he most likely will enter the free agent market next month and will earn a ton of cash.
Unless some players restructure their deals to free money under the salary cap, it will be a quiet off-season for the Jaguars.
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