JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Fred from Naples, FL
Not sure you wish to answer more Gabe Davis questions, but alas ... here goes. Do you think Davis asked for his release as he knew he wasn't going to be in the Jags' plans this year? There is also no "offset" money, meaning he can keep all the money the Jags gave him plus pocket any additional money his new team would give him. Thoughts?
I have no problem answering more questions about the Jaguars releasing wide receiver Gabe Davis on Wednesday – though given his 2024 production and expected 2025 contribution, it might be appropriate to limit this topic to a day or two more. I think the Jaguars knew Davis wasn't going to be one of their top three or four wide receivers in 2025, and I think they also knew he wasn't going to play special teams – and when that's the case at wide receiver, it's very difficult to keep the player. I think that pretty much solves any mystery. I also don't think Davis asked to be released, though I don't think what he wanted was all that pertinent to the conversation. Davis had $24 million guaranteed upon signing – an $11 million signing bonus, $1.5 million in base salary in 2024 and 2025 and a $10 million option bonus due this past March. That guarantee meant Davis was going to receive all of that whether or not he was with the Jaguars during the 2025 season. He is free to make whatever he can earn if he signs elsewhere.
Sean from Oakleaf, FL
What do you look for first from a personal-impact view when the schedule comes out? How many cold weather games there are, how many birthday parties you will miss, how long the flights are going to be for the west coast games?
I indeed tend to see the Jaguars' schedule from a personal-impact view; "regard for others" is not "my thing." My initial schedule-release selfish checklist: Prime-time games, one p.m. starts, west-coast games, games around Thanksgiving and Christmas, Thursday games. I glance at the cold-weather stuff, but it's sort of "whatever." As for birthday parties and events missed …. I was in the newspaper game for 13 years and have been in the NFL game for 24 years (ish). You miss what you miss. It's part of the gig.
Stuart from Cottonwood AZ
Maybe the man from T.H.E. Oh never mind, U.N.C.L.E.
S.O.S.
Alan from Ellington, CT
So, will Gabe Davis actually get paid the $5 million and $16 million for the next two years or does this just count against the cap? Cutting a player like this … do you think this is something that came up in Gladstone's interview so the owner knows what the plan is with his money?
Davis, as noted previously in this O-Zone, gets paid his guarantees so he will make $24 million for the 20 receptions for 239 yards and two touchdowns he produced in 2025. I don't know that Jaguars General Manager James Gladstone would have specifically said during his interview earlier this offseason that releasing Davis was a plan, and I doubt he already would have planned to do so at that point, but it's certainly understood during and after a regime change that such moves are possible.
Anthony from Richmond
I suppose you could look at infrastructure and Super Bowls as a kind of chicken-and-egg situation, but couldn't they treat it like the Olympics? These countries are awarded the greatest sporting event of mankind before a single shovel is in the ground. Then they build the necessary infrastructure. Couldn't they do the same for the Super Bowl? Once it has been awarded, they have no choice but to build what's needed.
This almooooooost makes sense. In theory. Then you realize that Olympics dwarf the Super Bowl internationally, and that Olympics are awarded to major international cities/areas – with countries as opposed to cities/states often bearing much of the cost. Hotels built for Olympics therefore would remain in major international cities after the event. Hotels built for a Super Bowl in a smaller NFL market such as Jacksonville, Green Bay or Buffalo would of course remain in those smaller markets and therefore struggle to be successful for the long-term. Bottom line: You don't build significant infrastructure for the Super Bowl. You take the Super Bowl to a place that has the infrastructure, which usually and necessarily plays a large role in determining Super Bowl sites.
Chris from Tampa, FL
I'm confused about the Gabe Davis numbers. If his signing bonus was only $11 million, why is his dead money hit more? Was some of the future salary guaranteed? Last year's salary was on last year's cap, no?
Yes, Davis' salary of $1.5 million for 2025 is guaranteed. So was his bonus that was due in March. The "dead money" figure that would have been on the cap in 2025 is $10 million (option bonus), $1.5 guaranteed and $8.8 million in prorated signing bonus for the final four years of a five-year contract.
Paul from Stay Tuned
If former longtime Florida Times-Union sports columnist and Northeast Florida cultural icon/thought leader Eugene P. "Gene" Frenette and Chuck Norris were to fight, how far back would spectators need to move to be considered "safe"?
Way.
David from Maplewood, NJ
John, Seems clear Jaguars rookie wide receiver Travis Hunter will have No. 12, but I didn't see what the other rookie number assignments were or are they still pending?
Still pending.
Scott from Formerly Arlington, now Kissimmee
If the Jags had the available room on their books, what is the advantage of the team not just eating the entire cap hit from cutting Gabe Davis all at once this year and moving on with a clear book for the following season?
The Jaguars designating Davis a post-June 1 release was more an accounting move than anything else. The Jaguars indeed could have absorbed the entire $20.3 million cap hit in 2025. Moving $14.6 million of that to 2026 gives them room to maneuver in 2025 if necessary, with money pushed into the future when the cap increases in 2026.
Marcus from Melbourne, FL
If I had to guess on Travis Hunter's usage based off this regime's comments and what makes sense, I think at cornerback we probably see him begin as part of the team's third-down and red-zone packages. This would allow him to minimize the amount of time he would miss with the offense during the week while still acquainting with the defense. Then, as he settles in more, give him more responsibility and see how it goes. Either way, as a fan, I'm excited. Whether it works or not, it is exciting and a privilege to be able to watch our team do something unprecedented and bold.
You're in the ballpark – and you may have a pretty good seat, too.
Drekarr from Atlanta, GA
Hey, Zone I was looking at the opponents for the 2025 season. I see the Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets and Carolina Panthers sprinkled in. What determines these random teams?
Hey, Drekarr. There are no random teams in NFL scheduling. Teams play 17 regular-season games – six against opponents from their division, four against opponents from another division within their conference and four against opponents from the other conference. They also play two games against teams from the "other" two divisions in their conference, with those matchups based on the teams' division finish the previous season. The 17th game is against an opponent from the other conference, with that matchup also based on the teams' division finish the previous season.
Nick from London
How does dead money against the salary cap work? If that player signs a new contract elsewhere does it reduce the cap hit? Or is it a scenario where it is what it is? Love the questions and you xoxixox.
Dead money can work in multiple ways. It's best defined as a salary cap charge for a player no longer on the roster and occurs when a team has guaranteed a player money – or already paid a player money in the form of bonuses. When the player is released, the player's prorated bonuses hit the salary cap during the year the player is released. For example: If a player who signs a five-year contract with a $10 million bonus is released after two seasons, $6 million is applied to the cap in the third year. If a team designates a player as a "post-June 1 release," they can spread the cap hit out over two seasons.
James from Kings Bay, GA
It seems that the teaser trailer for the next episode of "The Hunt" (ep2) was released weeks ago, but I have not seen the release date, nor can I find any information regarding it. Do you know when the release date will be?
Whatever the "Hunt" is, sources tell me this could be released on or about May 29-ish.
