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Salary cap space
As of March 17, 2021, the Jaguars are projected to have $73,599,714 in cap space for 2021.
The Jaguars rolled over $23.5 million in 2020 cap space.
March 10 update: The salary cap has been set at $182.5 million.
The 2020 season wasn’t a total loss for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Sure, they did only manage to win just one game, but in doing so, they earned the top pick in the NFL Draft this year and the right to draft quarterback Trevor Lawrence, a generational talent who could make the Jags a contender in pretty quick sequence. The team also found a head coach this week; they were reported to be finalizing a deal with Urban Meyer on Thursday, January 14.
Another thing in Jacksonville’s favor this year is that they have more cap space than any other team in the NFL, more than $70 million, in a year where the cap figures to be at a low point.
The NFL powered through its 2020 season amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The league played without fans in most stadiums, and limited fans in a handful of locations. The decrease in gate revenue is going to result in a decrease in money shared between the 32 teams. This in turn means the salary cap has been decreased. The NFL has announced an official salary cap of $182.5 million, which is sure to result in some tough choices for many teams.
All salary cap information below comes courtesy of the NFLPA Public Salary Cap Report.
Notable contracts
The happy little footnote to that cap number is that the Jaguars have 58 players under contract for 2021, meaning they’re going to have to shed a few to make room for the new additions they pick up in the draft and free agency.
Obviously there aren’t too many problematic contracts for this team. Offensive guard Andrew Norwell carries the biggest cap hit this year at $15 million, the result of a reworked deal last spring. He’s not going anywhere, nor should he. Linebacker Myles Jack has a $12 million cap hit, but he’s a core player who should be a cornerstone of this team going forward.
One easy cut is tight end Tyler Eifert. The 30-year-old caught 36 passes for 349 yards and two touchdowns this season. Cutting him would save another $5 million against the cap, and let the Jags go out and find a tight end capable of actually contributing something.
Offensive tackle is going to be a need, and the first step will be deciding whether or not to hang onto Cam Robinson or let him walk as a free agent. Other free agent decisions they’ll have to make include wide receivers Chris Conley and Keelan Cole. They can let free agents Abry Jones and D.J. Hayden walk.
With that kind of cap space and the chance to land a generational talent at quarterback—who’ll be playing on a rookie deal for a few seasons at least—the Jaguars do not have any problems from a cap perspective in this rebuild.