JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Dan from Madrid
Hi, John. Can you please provide some details how we got into this salary cap mess when actually prior to the last season we were not good. As far as I know, quarterback Trevor Lawrence's cap number is still somewhat manageable. His big hits start in a year or two. Thank you!
First, I don't know that I would quiiiite call the Jaguars' current salary-cap situation a "mess" – at least not compared to many really messy salary-cap situations I've seen around the NFL the last few decades. Their cap situation is not ideal, but a lot of teams navigate less-than-ideal cap situations that arise because of renegotiating too many contracts and pushing too much cap money onto future caps – or by simply signing too many aging veterans in high-risk free agency. The Jaguars did these things a bit too much in the 2024 offseason, signing aging veterans such as center Mitch Morse, cornerback Ronald Darby, wide receiver Gabe Davis, defensive tackle Arik Armstead and safety Darnell Savage. They also re-signed players such as cornerback Tyson Campbell to huge contract extensions that offseason. As much as anything, those moves led to the current situation –which stems largely from a lot of "dead" cap money, meaning cap dollars allocated to players no longer on the roster – primarily cornerback Campbell ($19.5 million dead cap in 2026), Davis ($14.6 million) and Savage ($6.2 million). One of the most impressive parts of this new regime is its willingness to make difficult decisions for the good of the team – and parting ways with these departed players was in that vein. Either way, navigating choppy cap waters is part of the game when transitioning regimes. The Jaguars navigated them and finished 13-4 last season. Now, they must continue to navigate them and ideally land in a place with significantly less dead money most seasons. I must say your question made me smile because it expressed surprise that the Jaguars got into cap trouble when they weren't good. That's when most teams get into these situations because they're recklessly trying to win the offseason. That's rarely the path to the postseason.
Matt from Keystone Heights, FL
How much does the team like Kiser and Miller? And do you think that will impact the re-signings of Gardeck and Lloyd outside salary implications?
The Jaguars like linebackers Jack Kiser and Ventrell Miller, though that doesn't necessarily mean they have those players penciled in as starters moving forward. I expect there's a good chance the Jaguars can re-sign linebacker Dennis Gardeck. I will be really surprised if the Jaguars re-sign linebacker Devin Lloyd – and that's true no matter how many questions I get about the prospects of him returning and no matter how many different prisms through which we choose to view the issue. It's probably time to brace ourselves for mid-March. I don't expect fans to be happy with what happens with Lloyd. I expect a lot of teeth-gnashing and pitchforks. I don't expect the on-field ramifications to be nearly match the level of anger. Stay tuned.
Kevin from Jacksonville
Hey, Zone! The sun'll come out TOMORROW!
… bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, THERE'LL BE SUN!
Brian from Round Rock, TX
Your answers sound decidedly less "independent" and more "employee" lately. I'll probably stop reading if that continues. No one is interested in reading team spin.
People ask questions. I answer. That's this forum. Period. My experience tells me that many people interpret answers they don't like as being influenced by me being a team employee. My experience also tells me I can't control people interpreting answers like this. I therefore don't worry about this all that much.
Nicholas from Fort Hood, TX
Hey, Tax Man: When you travel to different states to cover the game, do you have to pay the local state tax? Do injured players who travel with the team get subbed to state tax? Have players decided not to travel in order to remain in a tax free state like Florida?
People who travel with professional sports teams for work do have to pay local state taxes. I've never heard of a player – injured or otherwise – not traveling to avoid taxes, but I don't hear everything.
Brad from The Avenues
Wow. Valentine's Day Super Bowl February 14, 2027. As I'm currently between others, significant or otherwise, maybe I'm better off just letting it ride as is until the 15th.
Probably.
Greg from Jacksonville
Sorry to tell you, but you're wrong, Zone. You said teams can't sign free agents until mid-March but every year teams sign free agents before this. Please explain – if you can.
I wasn't wrong, which makes my current perfection streak 59 years and going on 60. I indeed recently wrote that teams can't sign unrestricted free agents until March 11, which is true. Teams may sign free agents – i.e., players released from the contracts – at any time. Unrestricted free agents are players who play out their contracts. That's the difference.
Ron from no longer the upper deck and Jacksonville
First of all, thank you so much for your column. My question is this do you think we will try to take some of our multiple draft choices and try to move into a second round or higher and what do you think it would take to move to the second round and or higher?
I expect this Jaguars regime always to be active and aggressive if they believe there are players worth taking that approach to acquire. The Jaguars have a second-round selection in the 2026 NFL Draft. They have three third-round selections. If they want another second-round selection, I would think it would take two of the thirds - ish.
Charles from Riverside
Hello, John. Like you, not a big fan of how the NFL continues to extend the number of games in a season. Also, I agree with you if it means each team gets two bye weeks, while the season goes to 18, but the number of games stays at 17 – that would be OK. But recently there has been some chatter that the NFL wants to go to 18 games with each team in the league required to play one international game. Not good, not only more games, but the burden of that additional overseas travel. Expanding the brand at the expense of the players? Have you heard anything regarding this rumor?
Perhaps I misspoke somewhere, but I'm absolutely not for adding bye weeks into the schedule. I am old enough to have been around when the NFL had two bye weeks in the 1993 season. The two bye weeks gave the season a disoriented feel and broke up the week-to-week rhythm – and the league immediately reverted to a one-bye-week-per-season format. I'm not saying the league will never go back to two bye weeks, but that was the feeling at the time. As for the NFL pushing to move to an 18-game schedule with each team playing an international game each season, that's more than a rumor. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell earlier this month during his pre-Super Bowl media availability called it "an important mark to shoot for," adding, "I think we're on our way." If Goodell said that, it means it's probably happening in the foreseeable future. Would this be somewhat at the expense of players? Probably, which is why such moves must be collectively bargained with the NFL Players Association. I expect the players will resist then cede with the idea of getting something they want at the negotiating table. Either way, we indeed seem "on our way." For better or worse, I suppose.
Nicholas from Fort Hood, TX
Zone. It has been 15 years since you first posted an Ozone. How does it feel?
Later. A lot later.
Don from Marshall, NC
The Jaguars won 13 games last year and that entitles them to claim they know a little bit about what they are doing. I was certainly disappointed in his injury but not the performance of Travis Hunter. Those players are so rare and it will be fun to see him back. He was just starting to figure out the NFL game I thought. I thought that the job that Shaun Sarrett did with the offensive line was phenomenal. He knows talent and what it takes. The whole coaching staff was phenomenal. Ownership has been phenomenal putting the team together in the right direction. Trevor Lawrence becoming a man last year was just a blast to watch. Liam Coen what can you say as he was competing for coach of the year. Now is the time fans can kick it back and be proud with who the Jaguars are. We bad! Go Jaguars!
When it comes to Jaguars rookie wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, and to thinking a lot of stuff around the Jaguars is pretty darned phenomenal – to the point of actually being "bad" in a good way – these days, Don remains "all in."
