After finishing the 2025 season with a 13-4 record, the Jaguars aimed to continue improving the roster to become true Super Bowl contenders while also maintaining their cap space. Entering the 2026 offseason, the Jaguars were $16 million over the cap, with major work to do in order to become cap compliant before the start of the league’s new year and to sign the free agents that can improve the roster.
On March 6, they restructured the salary of offensive lineman Patrick Mekari, converting $9.2 million into a signing bonus and adding three void years to reduce his cap number by $7.36 million. They also converted $4.2 million of safety Eric Murray’s salary into a signing bonus, creating $3.36 million in cap space while adding two void years in 2029 and 2030. After these moves were made, the Jaguars were now just $6 million over the cap.
Restructuring the Contract of Jourdan Lewis
Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jourdan Lewis (2) celebrates his interception with safety Andrew Wingard (42), right, and defensive end Josh Hines-Allen (41), left, during the fourth quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Texans 17-10.
On March 7, the Jaguars became cap compliant after restructuring the contract of cornerback Jourdan Lewis. The restructure converted $7.7 million into a signing bonus, reducing his 2026 salary cap number by $6.16 million and increasing his 2027 cap number by $1.54 million. Three void years were added from 2028 through 2030, with a cap hit of $4.6 million to assigned in 2028. For the 2026 season, Lewis will have a cap hit of just $6.6 million.
The restructure of Jourdan Lewis’s contract gets the Jaguars under the cap by $110,348, and they are now 27th in total cap space among all 32 teams. With free agency just days away, more moves are expected to be made to continue creating additional cap space. Players such as Ezra Cleveland, Davon Hamilton, Walker Little, and Arik Armstead are all candidates for restructures to free up more space for general manager James Gladstone to operate with.
Main Image: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images