The Jacksonville Jaguars had the most salary cap in the NFL when Urban Meyer joined them, and while they weren’t able to address a pressing need at tight end, the good news is they still lead the NFL in cap space three weeks past the start of free agency. According to Over the Cap, the team has approximately $40.5 million available in cap space at the moment, well ahead of any other team in the NFL.
Aside from the signing of cornerback Shaq Griffin and maybe Rayshawn Jenkins, the Jaguars didn’t really sign many players to huge deals. They also avoided a lot of big Year 1 cap hits when looking at their new additions. However, they did make a significant amount of value signings to help bolster the defensive line and added some veteran skill players on the offensive side.
Also according to Over the Cap, the Jags accumulated a spending amount of over $81 million in free agency this offseason. That total is good for third, with the New England Patriots coming in at first and spending over $112.4 million and the New York Giants coming in at second with a spending figure of just over $82.9 million. In other words, that means the Jags weren’t shy about handing out smaller contracts despite not addressing arguably their second most pressing need.
Of course, when looking at their abundance of cap space, it’s worth noting that the rookie pool has to be accounted for. According to Over the Cap, the Jags are looking at a total figure of roughly $16.8 million if they use all 10 of their selections. Even with that figure leading the NFL, the Jags will be in good cap shape after the draft and could proceed to extend someone like DJ Chark Jr. if they wanted.
