It’s free agent season once more, and as the 2026 NFL Draft nears, teams are going to start making moves that prep them for the Draft and for the upcoming season.
One team that is facing a huge free agency period specifically is the Jacksonville Jaguars.
At the front of the line for the Jaguars in free agency will be the question of whether or not to pay standout linebacker Devin Lloyd. Lloyd had a tremendous 2025-26 campaign, helping the Jaguars to the AFC South title and the playoffs while earning
a Pro Bowl nod and second-team All-Pro recognition.
His few seasons prior to last year are where the questions arise. Is Lloyd more likely to recreate and build off his recent production? Or is Lloyd going to slip back towards the mean and be an average to slightly above average linebacker?
The Jaguars and their front office are seemingly more equipped than ever to handle such a Lloyd-sized problem with James Gladstone running the show. And the reasoning for keeping Lloyd or letting him walk makes sense both ways, making the choice increasingly difficult.
Option One: Jacksonville Re-signs Lloyd
The “easiest” option, so to speak, is to keep Lloyd in-house and immediately re-sign him. The Jaguars don’t have a first-round pick — like the first-rounder they once used on the former Utah Ute — and can say that since they cannot replace Lloyd immediately in the draft, they should just keep him.
Unfortunately for Jacksonville, this will be a big gamble. Lloyd will likely stand to earn somewhere in the range of $15 to $20 million annually on a deal worth three to four years, according to Spotrac. It’s possible Lloyd likes playing in Jacksonville enough that he takes slightly less to stay, but the odds of that after his anomalous year are slim to none.
With an annual value upwards of $20 million, Lloyd would be getting paid like a top-five linebacker. Is he worth that? Previous years would say no way, but after ripping down a career-high 5 picks and posting 1.5 sacks, maybe the chance of not getting that production again is too much to pass up for the Jags.
If Jacksonville signs Lloyd to a contract of that weight, it will almost certainly be the end of the road for Travis Etienne. Do the Jags value defense and takeaways more than offense and a safety net for quarterback Trevor Lawrence? Lloyd and Etienne are the two heavy hitters on the free agency block but it might be that only one can stay. After drafting two running backs last year, does it make sense to re-sign Etienne at all?
Lloyd was a force multiplier throughout the 2025 season and a key reason Jacksonville won a handful of games (see: Monday Night Football victory). He is someone the team rallies around and has a high upside. The gamble would be large, but it also sets a good tone for this new front office to re-sign a cornerstone player like Lloyd.
Option Two: Lloyd Wants To Stay, But Can’t Turn Down Big Money
Chances are, Lloyd wants to stay in Jacksonville. With the new coaching staff and on the heels of maybe the team’s best season ever, what reason would there be to leave? Well, money, of course.
PFF believes the best fit for Lloyd is in Cincinnati. The Bengals obviously need all the help they can get and will probably be grappling with the departure of Trey Hendrickson. PFF thinks they throw four years and $59 million at Lloyd, which comes to $14.75 million a year.
With over $100 million in cap space, the Las Vegas Raiders could also come calling.
Vegas simply has nothing to lose by paying Lloyd big money this offseason and using the first overall pick on quarterback Fernando Mendoza. They need faces of the franchise and can immediately have two by April to go along with Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers. The Raiders could almost certainly outbid any other team and make Lloyd say no.
Option Three: The Jags Let Lloyd Walk
The last option in the Lloyd saga is to simply let him walk. The money doesn’t make sense; there are other players to pay, and it ends right there.
Letting Lloyd walk in literally any other year of this franchise would seem like a huge mistake. Remember how we all felt about losing Calvin Ridley? But this year it might be different.
I think it would be safe to say Lloyd was on the outside looking in before Anthony Campanile’s defense revived his career. A regression to the mean seems the most likely outcome, and paying Lloyd for his previous body of work outside of last year seems crazy. See what happened to our old pal Ridley when he took the money.
The front office could also say they value Etienne and his upside more and just opt for offense over defense. Spotrac says Etienne might be re-signed on a two-year deal worth roughly $14 million.
Jacksonville will have to contend with teams like the Chiefs (ESPN) or even the Broncos (Albright), but a $14 million deal for Etienne is much more palatable than a $60 million deal for Lloyd.
Lloyd’s leaving would leave a decent-sized hole in the middle of the defense. It won’t be easy to replace him with anyone currently on the roster, but there are plenty of options out there that could come cheaper than Lloyd’s price tag…
Replacing Lloyd
Getting a one-to-one replacement for Lloyd in the draft will be tricky. The Jags currently don’t have a first-round pick and scooping up an immediate starter in the late second round seems like a bit of a reach. Instead, a veteran fill-in seems like a likely option.
Quay Walker is a name that comes to mind as a pending free agent who posted solid production under Campanile in Green Bay. Walker has been a bit of a headache during his NFL career, with fines immediately coming to mind when you think of him, but the former Georgia Bulldog did set personal bests in tackles and QB hits last season. The Packers don’t have the money to pay him, and he could see himself as Lloyd 2.0 in Jacksonville. In 2024, with coach Camp, Walker tied his career high in sacks (2.5).
A very Jaguars-y signing would be someone like Alex Anzalone. He already has the long blonde hair that Jags GMs seem to love (Lawrence, Wingard, Gardeck, etc.), and can be a cheap rental while the team brings along a young prospect. Ventrell Miller is someone the Jags will likely extend, and if Jacksonville doesn’t see him as a starter yet in Campanile’s system, Anzalone could be the stopgap until Miller is ready. Anzalone may be 31, but he is coming off a career-best season in sacks (2.5) and passes defensed (nine) in Detroit. He is a high motor guy who could be the replacement Jacksonville needs.
If Jacksonville values getting super veteran help, Lavonte David and Bobby Wagner are both available. Kaden Elliss in Atlanta has had some solid years and could be acquired for under $10 million annually. A reunion with Quincy Williams would also be fun!
None of the top-five linebackers on anyone’s big board will be available where the Jags are currently sitting, so the franchise would have to move up considerably to get one if they covet the likes of someone like CJ Allen enough to get into the top-15 or so.
Dennis Gardeck is someone the Jags will most likely re-sign to help shore up the defense in the absence of Lloyd. Foye Oluokun seems safe from being released if Lloyd indeed leaves. Jack Kiser will be entering his second year and could take a jump if asked to play full-time middle linebacker. The Jags do have options and plenty of roads to choose from.
All the while, the Jacksonville Jaguars are at the Devin Lloyd crossroads, but not all is doom and gloom. It’s a great sign that the Jags coaching staff was able to develop a player like Lloyd so quickly. His production will be the reason someone pays him, whether it is Jacksonville or otherwise. There are viable replacements out there although none might be as flashy as Lloyd coming off his All-Pro season. Olukoun himself wasn’t supposed to be the player he is today, so anything is possible.
Gladstone took a big swing on Travis Hunter, later making an excellent deadline trade for Jakobi Meyers. He’s now up to bat for the third big time as a general manager. Will Gladstone swing or will he miss? Either way, this offseason for Jacksonville starts as soon as the decision is made on the potentially $60 million linebacker who wears number zero.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
