Jacksonville Jaguars
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The Jaguars received some good news after their quiet free agency
Unlike the 2025 offseason, the Jacksonville Jaguars have had a quiet offseason after their 13-win season. Despite fans potentially wanting the team to go all-in after one of the best regular seasons in Jaguars’ history, Jacksonville opted for a more patient approach as they hope to maintain flexibility for future years and build a team capable of sustained winning.
Prior to the first wave of free agency, Jaguars general manager James Gladstone remarked on the difference in approach this offseason. “Quite a bit different than a year ago today, right? We came out of the gates, what you might call us hot, signing double-digit free agents, external free agents, right off the bat, a year ago,”Gladstone stated “And the whole approach to that cycle was raise the floor of the football team, and that was a part of it. We’re at a stage now where a higher volume of draft capital is what we’re hunting up in those compensatory.”
Fortunately for the Jaguars, it seems the team has done just that, as they set themselves up nicely for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
Jacksonville Jaguars Draft Compensation
After losing All-Pro linebacker Devin Lloyd and former first-round pick running back Travis Etienne to contracts worth over $40 million each, the good news for the Jaguars is FootballGuys analyst Sigmund Bloom stated that the Jaguars set themselves up to receive a compensatory fourth-,fifth-, and sixth-round draft pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
Regarding how the Jaguars might use those potential picks, James Gladstone said, “I think on its surface, you would think, Oh, okay, you’re going to make picks in 2027, whereas in reality, those draft picks, and having more of them actually allows you the luxury of remaining in the hunt at different goals throughout the calendar year for acquiring players,” Gladstone added, “I think on its surface, you would think, Oh, okay, you’re going to make picks in 2027, whereas in reality, those draft picks, and having more of them actually allows you the luxury of remaining in the hunt at different goals throughout the calendar year for acquiring players.”
Last season, the Jaguars traded a fourth and sixth-round pick for Jakobi Meyers, who then brought stability to the receiver room and totaled 483 receiving yards in nine games. After acquiring Meyers, the Jaguars went 8-1 and won the AFC South. Now, after a quiet offseason, the Jaguars have set themselves up for a repeat move in the 2026 season.
Jaguars 2026 Draft
Aside from abstaining from major additions during free agency, the Jacksonville Jaguars also do not have a first-round pick in this year’s draft to bolster their team after trading up to draft Travis Hunter. However, the team does possess four selections inside of the top-100 picks as they have one second round pick and three third round picks.
In ESPN’s Matt Miller’s latest mock draft, he has the Jaguars selecting Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez with the No. 56 selection. The Jaguars have a need at the position after losing the previously mentioned Devin Lloyd.
Miller wrote:
“Jacksonville needs a playmaking middle linebacker, and that’s what Rodriguez does. He had four interceptions in 2025 and finished his college career with 13 forced fumbles. He’s a heady, downhill player who captained the Texas Tech defense and is ready to be a green-dot linebacker in the NFL.”