Myles Jack Reportedly Released from Jaguars Contract; Led Team in Tackles Last Season

The Jacksonville Jaguars are releasing veteran linebacker Myles Jack, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Jack was the team leader in tackles (108) in 2021. His departure will open up almost $8.4 million in salary-cap space and put $4.8 million in dead money on Jacksonville's payroll.

The timing of Jack's release isn't a coincidence.

On Monday, Schefter reported the Jaguars agreed to a four-year deal worth up to $84 million with Christian Kirk. Guard Brandon Scherff got $49.5 million over three years, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. And those are just the two most notable moves of a busy free-agency period in Jacksonville:

After that kind of outlay, some bloodletting was to be expected by general manager Trent Baalke.

Losing Jack carries an added level of symbolism for the Jaguars because of his connection to their biggest success in recent years:

Sentiment aside, this move makes sense.

Jack's overall tackle numbers—he hit the century mark in 2020 as well—somewhat obscure his overall contributions. He only had 1.5 sacks over the previous three seasons, and he not only failed to intercept a pass in 2021 but also didn't register a single pass deflection.

Jacksonville isn't losing an irreplaceable member of its defense.

Having said that, Jack is still young enough—he'll turn 27 on Sept. 3—to where he could make the Jaguars look like fools at his next stop. Leaving a team that won four games over the last two years is bound to put a spring in anybody's step too.

The 2016 second-round pick figures to have plenty of options now that he's on the open market. And taking a short-term team to build up his value for next spring would be a shrewd move.