With NFL regime change often comes scheme and identity updates to team rosters and depth charts. This shift in philosophy remains true for the Jacksonville Jaguars 2025 off-season under incoming General Manager James Gladstone, Head Coach Liam Coen, and Executive Vice President Tony Boselli with the Jacksonville Jaguars standing as the lone NFL team not to re-sign a departing free agent from their 2024 roster. With 14 free agent losses pending from the sub .500 Trent Baalke and Doug Pederson tenure, and LT Walker Little previously extended during the 2024 season the front office understandably went with the clean sweep route to rebuilding depth. The team could of course choose to re-sign any of the remaining (unsigned) players after the draft. However, with that route do come a few built-in risks.
Longtime media personnel and fans of the organization likely remember players such as eventual All-Pro New York Jets LB Quincy Williams, who was drafted by the Jaguars in 2019 and waived by Trent Baalke/Urban Meyer in 2021 after struggling with injuries for multiple seasons. He would later be claimed off waivers by the Jets, find his footing in their defense while staying healthy, and become the All-Pro backer we now know. While Williams may be the higher-profile team losses, former Las Vegas Raiders DE K’lavon Chaisson, who recently signed with the New England Patriots flourished in 2024 after leaving Jacksonville. Chaisson struggled to develop in his four years in Jacksonville under Todd Wash, Joe Cullen and Mike Caldwell and the team understandably allowed his contract to expire without picking up the heftier defensive end 5th-year option.
However, in 2024 after being promoted from the Vegas practice squad in October he racked up 32 tackles, 5 sacks, 2 passes defensed, a forced fumble, and an interception while playing primarily as a designated pass rusher (508 snaps). Meanwhile, Jacksonville is still in search of a third Edge rusher. A similar argument could be made for former 2021 and 2022 Jacksonville Jaguars and 2024 Minnesota Vikings CB Shaquill Griffin, after his resurgent 2024 season while playing as the third corner in Brian Flores’ defense (572 snaps).
#Vikings CB Shaquill Griffin in 2024
• 41 total tackles
• 2 ints
• 6 passes defended
The former #Jaguar Griffin played all 17 games (3 starts) in Brian Flores secondary behind Stephon Gilmore & Byron Murphy Jr, who often would kick inside to Nickel on passing downs
Per PFF: pic.twitter.com/NyBRsUpr8k
— . ℍ (@TravisDHolmes) March 22, 2025
Of course, there are other quality football players to leave Jacksonville and play well in their roles for a few years (IE: Foloronso Fatukasi in 2024 with Houston, Allen Lazard with Green Bay, Calais Campbell, Mercedes Lewis, etc). With these past departures in mind, and the Jaguars currently looking to raise the floor of the roster, is it possible that scheme fit, coaching style, or pure bad fortune may have resulted in down years for any of the 2024 departing players? Are there potentially any departing players from last year’s Jaguars roster that the team may look back on with possible regret?
Departing free agents:
QB Mac Jones - Unrestricted free agent. Signed a two-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers.
RG Brandon Scherff - Unrestricted free agent
OG Blake Hance - Unrestricted free agent. Signed to a one-year deal with the Tennessee Titans.
OL Cole Van Lanen - Restricted free agent with an original round tender placed (6th round).
RB D’Ernest Johnson - Unrestricted free agent
TE Luke Farrell - Unrestricted free agent. Signed to a max $20.25 million deal with the San Francisco 49ers.
TE Josiah Deguara - Unrestricted free agent
WR Tim Jones - Restricted free agent. Signed to a one-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings.
DT Jeremiah Ledbetter - Unrestricted free agent. Signed to a one-year, max $2 million deal with the New York Giants
DE Esezi Otomewo - Exclusive rights free agent. Signed to a one-year deal with the Pittsburg Steelers.
DE De’Shaan Dixon - Exclusive rights free agent
LB Caleb Johnson - Unrestricted free agent
LB Joe Giles-Harris - Exclusive rights free agent
S Andre Cisco - Unrestricted free agent. Signed to a one-year, $10 million deal with the New York Jets.
Additional roster losses:
Free agent types defined:
An exclusive rights free agent is a player with an expiring contract who has two or fewer accrued seasons. To retain that player, the team must submit a contract offer prior to the start of the league year. A qualifying offer is a one-year contract at the league minimum salary, based on the player’s experience level.
A restricted free agent is a player with an expiring contract who has three accrued seasons. While this player is free to negotiate with other teams, their prior team has right of first refusal to match any contract offered.
Unrestricted free agent have four or more accrued seasons and are free to negotiate with any team without limitation.
Potential rebound candidates:
When evaluating the roster for possible rebound candidates, my mind immediately goes the Jacksonville Jaguars defense, looking at players such as Safety Andre Cisco and Cornerback Ronald Darby. With the entirety of the Jacksonville Jaguars defense and secondary struggling throughout the 2024 season under Ryan Nielsen, it seems like either of those players could be primed for rebound seasons after landing in great supporting rosters. Darby seemed to initially be a quality signing after his strong 2023 season stepping in for the Baltimore Ravens secondary. He may equally come back to form when being placed into the Houston Texans defense as a third CB option, with their fierce pass rush and defensive-minded HC Demeco Ryans. The same could be argued for S Andre Cisco landing in the dominant New York Jets defense, under defensive-minded HC Aaron Glenn. Prior to the 2024 defensive switch, Cisco’s arrow was pointing up, many locally expecting him to be the next player to be extended during that 2024 offseason.
On the offensive side of the ball, it’s easy to point to WR Christian Kirk Pro-Bowl TE Evan Engram as the big ticket losses for the 2025 season. Additionally, RB D’Ernest Johnson and WR Devin Duvernay are two players who make me wonder what could have been in a better offensive scheme, better injury luck, or simply better run blocking. The more noticeable losses of this group are obviously Kirk and Engram, who over the past few seasons became the two primary pass catching options for Trevor Lawrence in Doug Pederson’s offense. Both could easily rebound in a big way, simply by staying healthy in the 2025 season.
The Houston Texans, who scout the Jaguars to play them in-division twice per year, would seem to be banking on a few former Jaguar players to rebound in 2025 with their offseason trade for Christian Kirk, signing of Ronald Darby to a one-year deal, and they signed former Jaguars LT Cam Robinson to a one year deal. Are they of the belief that those players were limited by the prior coaching staff, scheme, or not developed by the coaches who are no longer here? Will they rebound by being better utilized and/or developed in their scheme or under their tutelage?
With D’Ernest, he seemed to never really be given a real chance to start in Jacksonville, after showing his ability to be an every down back for the Cleveland Browns. Johnson was objectively the best pass blocking running back on the roster in 2024, a solid route runner out of the backfield, and had limited rushing attempts behind the same problematic offensive line that also hampered the other two backs in yards before first contact. Would a change of scheme and scenery have Jaguars fans asking, “what if?”
The Dyami Brown to Devin Duvernay pivot was an interesting move for this incoming staff, as both are really explosive wide receiver options, with straight line speed, and one being 25 years old while the other is 27. Duvernay was primarily used as a special teams ace in 2024, where Dyami will likely be expected to be more of a receiving threat. However, looking at both of their playing histories at receiver, they would seem to be really similar player types. Could Duvernay have been used in the same way that Brown will likely be, but for much cheaper? It will be interesting to see how Ben Johnson sees Duvernay in Chicago after having Jameison Williams in Detroit in that clear-out role.
What are your thoughts on the Jaguars free agent roster subtractions so far? Are there any players the team will back on in regret? Let us know in the comments!