Last-Minute Guide to Jacksonville Jaguars' Free Agency
In what has been considered the most important free-agency period in Jacksonville Jaguars history, the wait is almost over. The anticipation and the speculation will finally draw to a close, and the action will begin.
Well, for the Jaguars, the party's already started. They have been making noise over the past couple of weeks and have made the NFL know they are going after some of the biggest players in the league as well.
Free agency is where the Jaguars can finally become the competitive team they wish to be. They've got the youth, and they've got the talent. But what they lack are playmakers and leaders.
The Jaguars will look for those leaders in free agency and may have already found it in some positions. It's crucial that the Jaguars continue to gain ground on the NFL. Picking up some of the best in football may make the difference between a win and a loss down the road.
Free agency may not fix all of the Jaguars' problems, but it can certainly be the chance for the Jaguars to become a better all-around team and to finally reach a competitive level of play in the NFL.
Let's get started.
The Jaguars Are Already Active
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In case you've missed it, the Jaguars have already been wheeling and dealing. They've gotten off to a quick start and have already signed, released and come to terms with players to build around for the 2015 season.
Here's a list of moves the Jaguars have made in the weeks coming up to free agency:
- The Jaguars' first move that drew attention was the release of corner Will Blackmon. Blackmon was a solid player for the Jaguars in 2013, and an injury took him out for half the season in 2014. Blackmon was solid but apparently not in the plans going forward.
- The Jaguars re-signed Tyson Alualu and Ryan Davis. Alualu and Davis are both two smart re-signings to provide depth and familiarity to the defensive line going forward.
- The Jaguars signed tackle Brennan Williams on February 13, which is an underrated signing. Williams was a Houston Texans third-round draft pick in 2013 and will be a solid backup for the Jaguars going forward.
And fresh off the press, we also have two unofficial agreements between the Jaguars and Dallas Cowboys' tackle Jermey Parnell and Miami Dolphins' defensive lineman Jared Odrick.
Parnell, who I said that the Jaguars should sign back in January, was a rock for the Cowboys after they lost tackle Doug Free to an injury. According to Marc Sessler of NFL.com, NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported Parnell is expected to sign a five-year, $32 million deal.
Parnell is an excellent signing for the Jaguars and will be the probable starter at right tackle when the season starts. Parnell has been very good for the Cowboys when Free is hurt, and we can expect him to excel with the Jaguars as well.
Odrick is another quality signing for the Jaguars and may enter Jacksonville and start immediately. Rapoport reported Odrick has agreed to $7 million a season, according to Chris Wesseling of NFL.com. No further details about his contract are known.
Odrick has played multiple positions for the Dolphins during his time in Miami and will probably do so as well for the Jaguars. He's adept at both the end and in the center of the line, and Odrick will bring more versatility and talent to the Jaguars' already impressive defensive line.
Free agency is hectic even before the window opens, as evidenced by the Jaguars' activity over the past few weeks.
The Jaguars Aren't Bringing Everybody Back
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The Jaguars still have 12 players who will become free agents once the market opens, and a lot of them have been starters and important players for them. It's not always fun, but sometimes a team has to part with players people have grown fond of.
Here's a list of starters and important players who have not re-signed with the Jaguars:
- WR Cecil Shorts III
- RT Austin Pasztor
- CB Alan Ball
- OLB Geno Hayes
- RB Jordan Todman
- OT Jacques McClendon
- OLB J.T. Thomas III
Some pretty important names like Shorts, Pasztor and Ball stand out. All three were starters in 2014, and many thought the team would re-sign them as free agency drew nearer.
However, that hasn't been the case, and we have to expect that Shorts and the rest will not be returning to the Jaguars for the 2015 season.
The fact that Ball hasn't re-signed is also surprising. When Will Blackmon was released, many expected the Jaguars to bring Ball back to provide some type of veteran presence for a young secondary, but it doesn't look like that will happen.
The loss of these players will provide more chances for the Jaguars to dive into free agency and to continue to improve the team.
This is already the case for Pasztor, who has been replaced by the agreement with Parnell. It's not always easy to lose players, but in the Jaguars' case, the new talent will be for the best.
The Jaguars Still Have a Lot of Cap Space
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The signings of Parnell and Odrick have taken a sizable chunk out of the Jaguars' total cap space, but that doesn't mean there isn't still money to be spent.
Parnell and Odrick are both estimated to get somewhere around $7 million a year, so we'll assume that $14 million has been deducted from the Jaguars' total cap space. According to Over the Cap, the Jaguars started with $68,477,511 in cap space before the signings of Odrick and Parnell.
If the estimations are correct (along with my basic subtraction), the Jaguars still have over $54 million in cap space, good enough for the second-highest amount of cap space in the NFL behind the Oakland Raiders.
Having $54 million when the market officially opens is still an incredible amount of cash. If there's an issue that the Jaguars don't have, it's cap space.
There is arguably enough room for a few more major signings and for the Jaguars to replace some of the key players they are letting go to free agency.
The Jaguars may not have the cash at the beginning of the window that everyone expected them to have, but it was smarter to sign and act now rather than later.
Acting with haste is crucial in free agency. The Jaguars getting two major signings before the window even opens really isn't a hit to the cap space but a sound decision that allows them to focus on other players when free agency actually opens.
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Big Names May Be Coming to Duval
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There have been a lot of reports linking the Jaguars to Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray and Denver Broncos tight end Julius Thomas. There really isn't anything concrete about either of the two stars coming to Jacksonville, but it's a real possibility.
Thomas seems like the most sensible and plausible signing of the two.
The Jaguars are in need of a big-play receiver and an improved tight end, and Thomas fits both of those roles. Thomas has scored 24 touchdowns for the Broncos over the past two years and could bring the Jaguars the threat they need.
As for current tight end Marcedes Lewis, his future remains to be seen. The Jaguars seem to be in the market for a tight end whether it's in free agency or in the draft, and that could push Lewis out.
The other apparent target, Murray, would be an even bigger signing than arguably one of the most productive tight ends in the NFL. Murray has been stellar for the Cowboys over the past two seasons and would be a serious upgrade to the running back position over Toby Gerhart and Denard Robinson.
However, Murray and Thomas might be signings that would take serious money. Between the two, the Jags would have to devote a large portion of their money to sign them.
According to NFL writer Max Luckan (h/t Big Cat Country's Ryan Day), Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell is in talk with Murray's agent and is trying to work out a deal.
The signing of Murray or Thomas or both would be the biggest signings of the Caldwell-Shad Khan-Gus Bradley era and could bring players that are considered some of the best at their positions to Duval County.
While they would help improve the team, signings like these would bring the Jaguars reputable players who could help them climb to the top.
The Jaguars Still Have Work to Do
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Despite the signings of Parnell and Odrick and the potential signings of Murray and Thomas, the Jaguars still have a lot of work to do in free agency.
The fact that the majority of the Jaguars' free agents will be gone means that players will have to take their place, and the Jaguars have to account for it.
While they may act in the draft to replace these players, they need to take action in free agency to replace role players like Geno Hayes, J.T. Thomas III and Cecil Shorts III.
The Jaguars' most obvious needs are still at wide receiver, secondary and now linebacker, considering that both Hayes and Thomas III don't seem to be coming back.
There are options available at all three, but it's crucial the Jaguars find productive players who are ready to work in Coach Bradley's atmosphere and jell well with the team.
The Jaguars can bring in big names like Murray and Thomas, but the team's money has to be spent efficiently. Even $54 million spends quickly, and if the Jaguars truly want to be contenders in 2015, they have to remember to focus on holes in the team.
Free agency is hectic by nature. Anything that brings change and news like free agency does is. And while that can be tough to navigate, the Jaguars seem to have a determined plan to improve.
Quick action on Odrick and Parnell and potential big names like Murray and Thomas are evidence that Caldwell and Company have ambitious goals for free agency and will make the most of the opportunity they've been presented via cap space.
I've said that this free-agency period may be the Jaguars' most important yet, and as it finally arrives, that seems to be the truth. The Jaguars have a lot of work to do, especially taking into account the years of building this team has done.
The jump from young and talented to strong and talented is not an easy one to make, but a few major signings this free agency window will certainly help.
Looking at Parnell and Odrick, they're off to a pretty good start.
All stats were found at ESPN.com unless otherwise stated.
Evan Reier is a first-year journalism major at the University of Alabama and a member of Bleacher Report's APSM program. Follow Evan on Twitter at @evanreier.
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