How Have the Jaguars Allocated 2020 Cap Space to The Offense?
In just 10 days, the Jacksonville Jaguars are set to square off with the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1 of the 2020 season. When they do so, their roster is going to look quite a bit different than it has in any recent year.
As a result, we are going to examine both Jacksonville's offense and defense over the next few days to see where and who the Jaguars are investing their resources in. First, we will start off with the offense.
Jacksonville's offense hasn't exactly had an abundance of big names on it in recent years, but one of the most noticeable, and most expensive, names departed shortly before the season started when the Jaguars released running back Leonard Fournette.
Fournette, the No. 4 overall pick in 2017, was the most recognizable name on Jacksonville's offense, as well as the team's only homegrown first-round pick who was slated to start on that side of the ball. With Fournette gone, one of their most expensive starters came off of the books.
In total, the Jaguars currently have $56,571,010 tied up in their offense according to Spotrac, which makes up 27.24% of the team's adjusted current cap. This ranks as only the 31st highest-paid offense in the league according to Spotrac, with only the Denver Broncos ($48,392,694 ) ranked below them.
So in the wake of Fournette's release and the continued reshaping of Jacksonville's offense, what does Jacksonville's current investment into their offense suggest? We take a position-by-position look to determine the answer, with all figures coming from Spotrac.
Quarterback
2020 cap space invested: $2,432,068 (32nd in NFL). QBs take up 1.17% of Jacksonville's adjusted 2020 cap.
Biggest 2020 cap hit: Mike Glennon ($1,050,000)
Overall takeaway: With two quarterbacks with sixth-round rookie contracts on the roster, no team is spending less at the quarterback position than the Jaguars this season. Mike Glennon, who didn't even make Jacksonville's initial 53-man roster, is currently the team's highest-paid quarterback, which is reflective of how little the Jaguars have invested in the position. With that said, the Jaguars are currently paying Nick Foles $18.75 million in dead cap.
Ultimately, there was never a scenario in which the Jaguars were going to devote a large amount of 2020 cap space to a quarterback. They are already paying Foles and want to see what Minshew has, so this figure is far from surprising.
Wide receivers
2020 cap space invested: $12,604,993 (26th in NFL). WRs take up 6.07% of Jacksonville's adjusted 2020 cap.
Biggest 2020 cap hit: Chris Conley ($3,745,000)
Overall takeaway: There are only two receivers on Jacksonville's active roster who are not on rookie deals. Keelan Cole is playing under a second-round tender in 2020, while Chris Conley was signed to a two-year, $4,595,000 contract with the Jaguars in 2019.
The other four active receivers on Jacksonville's roster are all one rookie contracts, with Dede Westbrook in the final year of his and DJ Chark in the third year of his contract. Meanwhile, Laviska Shenault and Collin Johnson are each non-first round rookies, so their contracts don't have major cap implications. Look for this unit to change dramatically as Chark inches closer to a contract extension (pending the Jaguars actually give them one).
Running Backs
2020 cap space invested: $2,655,416 (32nd in NFL). RBs take up 1.28% of Jacksonville's adjusted 2020 cap.
Biggest 2020 cap hit: Chris Thompson ($1,368,750).
Overall takeaway: Once the Jaguars released Fournette, who would have been due around $4 million in 2020, it became clear that they would be going with cost-controlled options at the running back position. Considering the amount of high draft picks and cap space the Jaguars have invested in the running back position in the past under general manager Dave Caldwell, this year's strategy is unlike any the Jaguars have undergone in recent memory.
The only running back on the team with a cap hit north of $1 million is Thompson, who does not even start for the team. Starting running back James Robinson, meanwhile, has a cap hit of $611,666. According to Spotrac, this makes him just the 118th highest-paid player at his position.
Offensive line
2020 cap space invested: $33,031,147 (14th in NFL). OL takes up 15.91% of Jacksonville's adjusted 2020 cap space.
Biggest 2020 cap hit: Andrew Norwell ($12,000,000).
Overall takeaway: The highest-paid unit on the team, Jacksonville has invested quite a bit in their offensive line. Andrew Norwell has the second-largest cap hit on the team and the fourth-highest among all NFL guards. Outside of Norwell, Jacksonville has invested second contracts in center Brandon Linder ($8 million cap hit) and right guard A.J. Cann ($6,308,333). This gives Jacksonville plenty of money tied into their interior line, easily the most the Jaguars have invested into the offense from a financial sense.
As for the tackles, the Jaguars' starting left and right tackles (Cam Robinson and Jawaan Taylor) are each still on their rookie deals, but each was also second-round picks in 2017 and 2019 respectively. Taylor has a $1,778,159 cap hit while Robinson has a $2,233,053 cap hit this season. So no matter how you look at it, the Jaguars have spent big at the offensive line compared to the other positions on offense.
Tight ends
2020 cap space invested: $5,097,386 (23rd in NFL). TEs take up 2.45% of Jacksonville's adjusted 2020 cap space.
Biggest 2020 cap hit: Tyler Eifert ($3,375,000).
Overall takeaway: Simply put, the Jaguars haven't really spent significant resources at tight end since they signed Julius Thomas as a free agent in 2015. Eifert joined the club on a team-friendly, incentive-laden deal, while James O'Shaughnessy has a cap hit of just over $1 million. Until the Jaguars make the tight end position a bigger focus, don't expect this to change.
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