Money Talks: Jaguars Brass Comments on Contract-Eligible Players

The Jaguars’ next big decisions are already taking shape. We break down what the front office said, and notably didn’t say, about upcoming extensio...

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What is the story about?

On Wednesday, the Jacksonville Jaguars officially closed the book on the 13-win 2025/2026 season, with a James Gladstone, Liam Coen joint media availability to wrap up the leadership group’s inaugural season. Among the many subjects discussed by the Jacksonville General Manager and Head Coach were the multitude of impending free agents whose fate must be decided upon in the coming months. Here are some of our key free agent takeaways from Coen and Gladstone’s final comments.

Full Media Availability:

On Wednesday, Gladstone kicked the media availability off being asked about the future of multiple players with expiring contracts, such as Devin Lloyd, Greg Newsome, and Montaric Brown.

LB Devin Lloyd

Probably one of the top decisions lingering for the organization is the future of breakout LB Devin Lloyd, after leading all linebackers in interceptions, in a contract year. Many likely would expect the second-team All-Pro to be a key piece for Anthony Campanile’s defense moving forward. While Gladstone was effusive in his praise of what Devin accomplished in 2025, he stopped short of indicating any plans for the linebackers’ contract extension.

“Such an impactful season. What he meant to our end result was certainly notable. The way in which he operated on a daily, weekly basis was really cool to watch and observe. He committed himself to being the best version. The connection between him, the coaching staff was real. He was being deployed in the right ways. He felt confident the ways he was doing it from both defense and special teams. Talking about a guy playing at an all-pro level on defense but is running it down on kickoff every time we score and making plays for us. Extremely happy for Devin and his production this season and finding real footing in a way that aligned with what he knew he could be. Look forward to working through the offseason process with our coaching staff and everyone else to determine what’s best for everybody and seeing if there’s something to be done. But nonetheless, the role that he had in what we did this season was real and I think it was very vivid for all to see.”

While this may be just this writer’s opinion, this feels pretty similar to the statements made when the team decided not to pick up Lloyd’s fifth-year option before the season (while picking up Travon Walker’s). I could be wrong in reading too much into this, but this feels to me like Lloyd may not be back in Jacksonville in 2026. Just for comparison, these were Coen’s comments on declining Lloyd’s fifth-year option in April.

“No plans right now in terms of we’re having those conversations, getting used to the player, right? We’ve just got to get used to him a little bit and get to know him a little bit. We’re excited about him, a guy that we see we can do some things with. Like, we do feel excited about some of his versatility and experience, so some of those conversations will be open and honest, and communicated.”

CB Greg Newsome II

While the Jacksonville general manager did not directly mention Newsome, his comments in reference to WR/CB Travis Hunter could be closely related to how the team feels about the status of the cornerback room and its depth:

“Obviously you can take a peek at expiring contracts on our roster and which side of the ball has more. Obviously at this point walking into the offseason, corner is a position that we have a few guys who are on expiring contracts. By default, you can expect there to be a higher emphasis on (Travis Hunter’s) placement. I think from Liam’s perspective, he can share it, but the steps he was taking by the midpoint of the season really made us feel good about what the back half of the year was going to be like on both sides of the ball and what that impact was going to look like being a feature point on offense and an impact player on defense. It was disappointing timing but nonetheless feel good about where we are heading into this offseason and what next year should hold.”

If Travis Hunter is to be considered a true two-way player moving forward, with an increased emphasis on the defensive side of the ball following 2025, then the cornerback room would likely bring back just one of Montaric and Newsome. However, between the two, Newsome would be the cheapest to re-sign, with a Spotrac estimated market value of $9 million annually.

CB Montaric Brown

When asked about Montaric (Buster), Gladstone did not hold back his praise of the veteran cornerback, explaining that Brown’s offseason production gave the staff confidence in moving on from Tyson Campbell, who was traded to Cleveland.

“Yeah, that’s another one that’s in alignment with Parker Washington. What you saw in the offseason program and in training camp was authentic. It was real. He was getting his hand on the ball endlessly. His skill set aligned with the scheme in a true form. And I think that that probably from last season to this season was something that many could understand on their own, but he’s very comfortable operating in it. He’s very effective in it. I think that that certainly gave us the confidence. His mode of operation is one of trust. I think that gives a coaching staff certainly a willingness to give it an attempt even if walking into the season or looking outward in you may not have identified Buster as being a starting cornerback or not and certainly proud, just like with Devin, to see his output continue to climb over the course of the season and make a real dent in our result.”

With a Spotrac projected market valuation of $9.2 million in 2026, the team will have to balance the depth of the room with the pending return of CB/WR Travis Hunter and any budget limitations here. Following Brown’s dominant 2025 season, some analysts even have his contract in the $13 to $15 million range, as there are minimal young corner options expected to be available in this year’s corner market.

RB Travis Etienne/S Andrew Wingard/OLB Dennis Gardeck

While RB Travis Etienne, S Andrew Wingard, and LB Dennis Gardeck were not directly mentioned, when addressing his evaluation of the rookie class, Gladstone may have hinted at the team’s philosophy, with more conversations still pending in the coming months. When asked about the projected growth and expanded roles for those already on the roster, Gladstone, as consistent as ever, seemed to indicate that the youth movement will continue.

“I think naturally you anticipate that (growth and expanded roles for current rookies). You can plan for it in some ways by making sure that those runways are available to them. I think it may be a misconception that there was endlessly—that the players we drafted in Los Angeles were immediate contributors as rookies where that wasn’t truly the case. Now, at the end when you think back to [Rams WR] Puka Nacua having a significant role as a rookie and then[Rams LB] Jared Verse and [Rams DE] Braden Fiske having significant roles as rookies, that can maybe overshadow what the year-over-year outlook was. Like [Rams RB] Kyren Williams and [Rams S] Quentin Lake who both received contract extensions this year did not play as rookies. They were both injured that season. So I think that that’s probably a fair representation of what now is the Jacksonville Jaguars and having seen multiple rookies have injuries surface, that you can think back to like, ‘Oh, wait—’ and also as I consider who took jumps in their third year or now fourth year with the Jacksonville Jaguars and we’re quick to rush to an assumption around whether that was some version of a hit or a miss. Everybody’s on different timelines and certainly have a ton of optimism around what the roles look like moving forward and look forward to seeing that come to life. Obviously, we get a whole offseason before that will show itself, but feel like we’re in a good place.”

Etienne, Wingard, and Gardeck are all second (or third) contract guys, where the team recently brought in rookie talent to compete in those positions. Safety Caleb Ransaw spent the 2025 season on injured reserve, but is expected to make a healthy return in 2026, along with the addition of Ray Lane and the ascension of Antonio Johnson. Gardeck had multiple splash plays in 2025; however, LB Jalen McLeod’s 2025 placement on IR all season may have potentially contributed to that role opening, somewhat. The team could decide to “open the runway” for younger competition in the role, while bringing in younger talent via the draft and undrafted free agency.

With the team currently reflecting just $5.1 million in 2026 cap space (23rd in the NFL), every free agent contract will likely be closely scrutinized. The team also has multiple contracts that can potentially be restructured to create additional cap space (IE: Josh Hines-Allen, Trevor Lawrence, etc). Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen both being brought in by this regime in the 2025 draft, Etienne could be a quality player who simply outprices the team’s budget for the position.While Spotrac lists a market valuation of just $6.8 million per year for Etienne, most analysts project deals similar to Josh Jacobs or Tony Pollard, which landed at around $10.5 million annually (or even higher).

Early Contract Negotiations

Finally, the leadership duo also commented on DE Travon Walker, WR Parker Washington, and TE’s Brenton Strange’s prospects of a contract extension in the coming months. Washington and Strange are both eligible to be extended as early as the start of the coming league year and Walker is eligible to be extended currently, as he enters his fifth year option season in the coming months.

“(Discussing Strange and Parker potential contract negotiations) I think we’ll take the time here. Obviously, it’s all preliminary discussions at this point in time and probably premature to truly dive in. Have to wait until we hit that full three-year mark with the new league year but nonetheless, I think both Brenton and Parker are people that we feel like align strongly with how we want to move forward.”

In reference to Travon, Gladstone’s praise of how he handles his day-to-day business and how Walker maneuvered through multiple 2025 injuries surely seemed to indicate that the team would do what it needs to keep him in-house for the foreseeable future:

“The thing that I really appreciate in watching Travon move is how much he loves this place. How much he loves his teammates. That just seeps out of his soul. Those are the types of people you want to align yourself with. It’s the type of players that we want to make sure that are still in our building moving forward. And I know obviously dealing with injury, that’s never easy for a player. To tough through those types of things, especially when it’s coming with a wrist and a kneesimultaneously, it’s not something that’s easy or many would be willing to put themselves potentially at risk for looking worse. You wouldn’t hold that against him. It’s not something that’s ever considered as long-term concern or anything of that nature. In fact, it’s something that you would prop him up for, right? The willingness to step into that despite being in adverse situation or your body is not feeling its best. That’s stuff that he should take real pride in, and he certainly is somebody that we want to make sure we align ourselves with moving forward.”

Jaguars 2026 Free Agents