JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …

Michael from Orange Park, FL

Let me get this straight. The Jaguars went 13-4 and won the AFC South, but had some clear deficiencies that kept them – again – from winning in the playoffs. Now you're telling us they're going to be better even though they don't have draft picks and can't participate in free agency. And they're going to get better? Really?

The Jaguars indeed went 13-4 in 2025 and won the AFC South title – and yes, the challenge for the organization is now to improve on that season and advance in the postseason. But while your email suggests that there are major roster deficiencies – and that the Jaguars' offseason circumstances make it impossible to improve those "deficiencies" – neither premise is entirely accurate. While the Jaguars must improve areas such as interior defensive tackle and linebacker – among others – it's not as if they were so woefully awful in these areas or others that they couldn't function in 2025. They were the NFL's best run defense in 2025 and were very functional offensively, two truths that suggest they are at the very least solid and functional on the offensive and defensive lines. Their skill positions offensively were very productive, though they could stand to be a better interior running team. And I expect the return to health of safety Caleb Ransaw and cornerback Travis Hunter can improve the secondary. The primary "need" from this view is edge depth and interior penetration defensively. The Jaguars currently have the No. 56 overall selection in the 2026 NFL Draft and three more selections in the Top 100. They likely won't be overactive in free agency, but that doesn't mean they will do nothing. I expect them to focus significantly on interior defense, running back and edge in the coming months. It may not be with first-round equity or the highest-profile free agents, but that doesn't mean they can't improve.

Kevin from Jacksonville

Do you think the Jaguars will be good this year?

I expect the Jaguars to contend for the postseason and for the AFC South title pretty much every season with Trevor Lawrence at quarterback and Liam Coen as head coach. I think they will be "that sort of franchise" for the foreseeable future. Stay tuned.

Gary from St. Augustine, FL

Even when the Jaguars screw up and don't use the franchise tag, you still suck.

Tag, you're it.

Aaron from Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

You're very smug about the Jaguars' running game without ETN. What makes you so confident he can be replaced?

I don't know that I've been either smug or anything else regarding the Jaguars' running game. I do know I expect running back Travis Etienne Jr. to sign elsewhere shortly after the March 11 start of the 2026 NFL League Year. I hope this doesn't happen. Etienne is one of my favorite Jaguars players to cover, and many fans understandably rank him among their favorite players. He also turned in some of the Jaguars' best, most important and most spectacular plays last season. So, why in the world would a team opt not to re-sign a player who turned in some of its "best, most important and most spectacular plays" – and who also has a fantastic attitude? Part of the answer is that running back these days often is a very interchangeable position dependent on many factors other than the player. Another is that the Jaguars must get their salary cap at least somewhat more streamlined moving forward, which will make it difficult to re-sign Etienne. Another is that running back usually is a young man's position – and many teams therefore opt to draft young backs and replace backs once they reach the sixth-year status Etienne will reach next season. I agree it will be difficult to replace many of the elements Etienne brings. This is particularly true of Etienne's knack for breaking the big run. His field vision and escape-ability created some huge moments last season. But can the Jaguars thrive in the running game and even improve in some areas moving forward without Etienne? If they draft well and continue to run block well, there's no reason to believe they can't.

Bradley from Death Valley, CA

I don't know Lawrence's stats before and after the Jakobi Meyers trade but it seemed like Lawrence finally got a receiver who was where he was supposed to be when he was supposed to be – and perhaps most importantly, he didn't drop the ball. He is perhaps the General Manager James Gladstone prime example of intangibly rich. Was this the silver lining of the Hunter injury or was he always on the Jags radar?

Lawrence improved dramatically following the Jaguars acquiring Meyers via trade from the Las Vegas Raiders, throwing 20 touchdowns with six interceptions in nine games with Meyers after throwing nine touchdowns and six interceptions in the first eight regular-season games. The Jaguars were certainly aware of Meyers all season, and NFL teams always consider midseason moves as the trade deadline approaches. There also was a general knowledge that they needed to improve at wide receiver. Would the Jaguars actually have made the move had wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter not been injured the week before? The guess here is probably not – in part because Hunter had his best game the week before his injury. Hunter's injury made adding a receiver a need rather than a luxury. Whether it was a silver lining or not, there's little debating it changed the Jaguars' season.

Kyle from Orange Park, FL

Tick, tick, tick. The franchise tag deadline is upon us. What now?

The NFL's franchise/transition tag window opened February 17 and is scheduled to close Tuesday, March 3. I don't expect the Jaguars to use either tag. What now? The NFL's negotiation window will open next Monday – March 9 – with the 2026 NFL League Year set for Wednesday, March 11, at 4 p.m. We'll hear free agency "news" Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday – with all the frenzied analysis and breakdowns – and all this "news" will become official Wednesday at 4 p.m. Those three days around the Jaguars will be less "frenzied" than last offseason – and that's good. Stable franchises are usually quieter in the offseason and noisy during the regular season.

Yeti Daddy from Somewhere and Yet Nowhere

Wait a minute: "The Jaguars need defensive ends that can tackle the quarterback with more regularity. Defensive end Travon Walker does a lot of things well, but not that. Defensive end Josh Hines-Allen seems to only show up when it's convenient for him." That sounds like someone saying that Walker and Hines-Allen don't rush the quarterback well!

There's often a difference between what people say and reality. Walker and Hines-Allen are good players. They rush the passer well, particularly when healthy. Are they the absolute best in the NFL in this area? No. Are they very, very good at it? Of course.

Anita from Springfield

Finish this sentence. Next season the Jaguars will have the No. 1 offense in yards and scoring because...

… they have one of the NFL's best quarterbacks in Lawrence and one of the most adaptive play-callers in Coen, and because they will continue the rapid improvement and production that made them one of the NFL's best offenses over the last half of the 2025 NFL season.

Jadon from Raleigh, NC

Can you explain how "restructuring contracts" creates more cap space? The Kansas City Chiefs just "restructured" quarterback Patrick Mahomes and it gave them $40 million more to use in 2026. Do we have any players that it would benefit us to do this with before free agency?

Restructuring NFL contracts to create more cap space typically works in the way it worked with the Chiefs recently restructuring Mahomes, with the Chiefs converting $54.45 million of his 2026 base salary into a signing bonus. This enabled the Chiefs to spread that $54.45 million over five seasons when applying it to the salary cap. It reduced Mahomes 2026 cap figure from $78.2 million to $34.65 million – thereby clearing $43.56 million in cap space. That was the good news for the Chiefs. The bad news was it also added $10 million to their 2027, 2028, 2029 and 30 salary caps. It's short-term gain and long-term pain, which is why this sort of restructuring is not a cure-all. Yes, the Jaguars have contracts that can be restructured in this fashion this offseason. Yes, they likely will restructure some contracts in this fashion in the next week or so before the start of the league year. But I expect they will do so as judiciously as possible. As they should.

Cliff from Everywhere with helicopter

I don't know about the 80s, but I can state unequivocally that in the 70s everybody knew this was nowhere.

I would respond to this, but I think instead I would like to get back home and take it easy. Sometimes you just have to get away from everyday running around.