The Jacksonville Jaguars are currently 7-3, and with a favorable chance to make the playoffs for the second straight year, a feat they haven’t achieved since 1999. That said, it’s hard to tell how far they can advance if they do get in. Teams like the Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs seem in much better shape than the Jags and their roster has begun to show cracks.
Hopefully, Jacksonville manages to put it all together and get to the AFC Championship game, or even the Super Bowl. They’ve shown in 2023 that they can go against the best teams in the league when they’re in the zone.
But regardless of how many games the Jaguars win in the 2023 postseason (assuming they’ll qualify), they must be aggressive in free agency next year if they want to increase their Super Bowl window. Here are three reasons why.
3. The Jaguars already have a talented roster, it just needs a few finishing touches
Back in 2020, the Jaguars were in bad shape. Their 1-15 record reflected the fact that they lacked playmakers, and had glaring holes at pretty much every position group. Move forward to 2023, and Jacksonville has put together a well-rounded roster, with lots of depth and talent.
Granted, this year’s draft wasn’t as good as the previous two but the front office has done a good job of bolstering most positions. Safety, cornerback, and linebacker, for example, have both starting talent and depth. That said, they still had a few needs.
More specifically, the team’s brass must make upgrades at left guard, the pass rush and the interior defensive line. If they address these needs and manage to retain their key free agents, the Jags should be in a position to make a deep playoff run in 2024.
2. The Jaguars took a conservative approach to address needs in 2023, it had mixed results
As noted previously, the Jaguars have needs on the interior offensive line, the defensive front, and the pass rush. What’s puzzling is that they had a chance to address them all in free agency but opted not to. While they had a few sound reasons, it’s fair to wonder why they weren’t more aggressive in filling in roster holes.
For example, the Jaguars expected left guard Ben Bartch to be 100 percent after dislocating his knee last year and missing 12 games last year. The issue is that they had no contingency plan in case Bartch wasn’t at full strength, which is what ended up happening: Bartch was ready for the opener but struggled and was benched by Week 4. The coaching staff then replaced him and Walker Little later moved inside when Cam Robinson returned from a suspension he served to start the 2023 season.
Little is now settling at left guard, and Jacksonville traded for Ezra Cleveland at the deadline. However, they would’ve had more stability at the position had they brought in someone like Nate Davis or Dalton Risner in free agency.
There’s a chance the Jags will move Little back to left tackle in 2024. If that’s the case, they’ll need to address the left guard position, and they cannot afford to take half-measures this time. The same is true for the pass rush. They tried to bolster their rotation for several months but ultimately didn’t make a move.
The Jaguars were at one point linked to Yannick Ngakoue. They later hosted Calais Campbell and Jadeveon Clowney. They even showed strong interest in trading for Minnesota Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter, who’s having a career year. In the end, general manager Trent Baalke opted to stay put.
Next year, the Jaguars need to sign a pass rusher once free agency begins. Josh Allen is proven he’s a top pass rusher while Travon Walker is taking steps in the right direction. Still, they need to bring in someone else to bolster their rotation.
1. The Jaguars won’t feel the impact of Trevor Lawrence’s next contract until 2025-2026
Besides outside linebacker Josh Allen, there are several Jaguars players in line for a new contract. Calvin Ridley is in the last year of his rookie deal. Cornerback Tyson Campbell, offensive lineman Walker Little, and safety Andre Cisco will all be eligible for extensions in 2024. The elephant in the room though is Trevor Lawrence.
Like Cisco, Campbell, and Little, Lawrence is a member of the 2021 draft class. But unlike them, he was picked in the first round, meaning that the team can use the fifth-year option in his rookie deal. If the Jaguars decide to exercise the option, he would then become a free agent until 2026. The top brass won’t probably wait until then to give him a new deal.
Instead, the Jags could give Lawrence an extension that’s cap-friendly early on and push most of the money into the later years. That would give them immense cap flexibility in 2024 and probably 2025. They could then re-sign their own players, and also make a few splash acquisitions in free agency. The Philadephia Eagles have used this approach in recent years, and it’s worked.
Although Philly already gave quarterback Jalen Hurts a monster contract this year, they’ve spared no expenses in free agency, going after players like C.J. Gardner-Johnson, or James Bradberry in recent years. Not surprisingly, they’re a legitimate Super Bowl contender. It helps that they’ve had back-to-back productive draft classes but one of their reasons for success is that they don’t let the salary cap get in their way.
This doesn’t mean the Jaguars should go after every big-name player available in free agency next year though. Rather, they need to address immediate needs if they want to get over the hump next season. Teams that want to have a legitimate shot at getting to the Super Bowl do. They Jags should follow suit.
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