Gabe Davis Released from $39M Jaguars Contract After Travis Hunter Trade in NFL Draft

Having said Travis Hunter will start his NFL career playing on the offensive side of the ball, the Jacksonville Jaguars are clearing space in their receiver room by moving on from Gabriel Davis.

The Jaguars announced on Wednesday they have released Davis. The move comes one year after they signed him to a three-year, $39 million contract in free agency.

Per ESPN's Michael DiRocco, the Jaguars will take on a $20.3 million dead-cap charge for the 2025 season by releasing Davis.

Hunter was the biggest addition at wide receiver Jacksonville made in the offseason, but the team also signed Dyami Brown as a free agent.

Head coach Liam Coen told reporters after the first round of the draft that Hunter will "primarily" play offense to start his career.

The addition of Hunter next to 2024 rookie sensation Brian Thomas Jr. made it seem like snaps for Davis would be hard to come by.

When you combine that with the fact Davis was a free-agent signing under the previous regime of general manager Trent Baalke and head coach Doug Pederson, it's not hard to see why he became an odd-man out in their receiver room.

Davis' lone season in Jacksonville was marred by injuries. He dealt with knee and shoulder injuries early in the 2024 season, then a torn meniscus landed him on season-ending injured reserve prior to Week 13.

In the 10 games he did play, Davis recorded 239 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 20 receptions. The 26-year-old will have the opportunity to find a good landing spot as a free agent with organized team activities still a few weeks away for all 32 teams.

Prior to signing with the Jaguars, Davis was an effective big-play receiver for four seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He averaged 16.2 yards per catch and had 29 touchdowns in 74 games from 2020 to 2023.

Davis set an NFL playoff record with four touchdown catches against the Kansas City Chiefs in the classic 13-second game in the 2021 AFC Divisional Round.