4 Jaguars Who Had Their Futures Dramatically Changed After James Gladstone's Flurry of Trades

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a few players who have been impacted the most by their trade deadline fireworks.

Oct 18, 2026; London, ENG; Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone before the game against the Houston Texans at Wembley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars' defense got quite the facelift on Monday.

The Jaguars already had one of the NFL's best defenses entering the final 48 hours of the trade deadline, but general manager James Gladstone gave the unit a significant injection of talent with trades for Jessie Bates III, Jordan Davis, and Davon Godchaux.

While there are still a few hours to go in the trade deadline as of this writing, the Jaguars could be done making moves after their trio of trades to kick off the week. Ifd that is indeed the case, then it is not hard to see how the Jaguars' future plans have changed for a number of vetertans.

So, which Jaguars' future roles look different now that Jacksonville is entering the playoff push with three new faces on defense? We break it down below.

DB Eric Murray

This is the most obvious one. The Jaguars signed Eric Murray to a three-year, $19.5 million deal last March that was always expected to be a short-term floor-raising move as the Jaguars started to put the pieces together. Even before Murray sustained a season-ending elbow injury in Week 8, it felt like from the start of the year that the long-time NFL veteran would be entering what would likely be his final year with the Jaguars. Now that Jacksonville has Bates in the mix, this case should be even more evident.

Yes, Bates is on an expiring deal, but so was Jakobi Meyers when the Jaguars traded for him. It would be surprising to see the Jaguars hand over a second-round pick without already having intentions of re-signing Bates, who will be 30 next season. The Jaguars signed Murray to a three-year deal and made him a starter when he was 31, so why would they hesitate with an All-Pro player who they just gave up picks for?

Re-signing Bates will take cap space, though, and releasing Murray is one thing the Jaguars can do to free some up. Bates is simply on another level as a play-maker than Murray, so the decision should already be made. Murray has been a good soldier for the Jaguars' defense since signing, but releasing him with a post-June 1st designation next year would free up $6.5 million for the Jaguars, while giving them a dead cap hit of over $2.5 million, according to OverTheCap.

DL Davon Hamilton

This is one that would hurt, but it must be talked about. Davon Hamilton was arguably the MVP of the entire Jaguars defense until he got injured, playing at a Pro Bowl level and putting out the most dominant tape of his career. It seemed like he was hitting his speak as a nose tackle, and it was also happening during a contract year, making it perfect timing for Hamilton. That timing got disrupted in a big way last week when his season ended, though.

The Jaguars did not trade such a big package for Davis with hopes of him being just another cog in their defensive front. He is the new present and future of their nose tackle position, and he is set to be under contract and in Duval for the next several seasons. That spot likely would have continued to belong to Hamilton had he ended the season healthy, and he would have earned it after such a stellar season.

That is not to say there is no chance Hamilton returns now. He is beloved inside the building, and could you imagine a Jaguars depth chart that has Davis and Hamilton as its top two run-stuffers? But it would likely have to be a shorter and less significant deal, and it is at least a question now. Two weeks ago, Hamilton looked like the must-keep of the Jaguars' impending free agents. That has changed a bit now.

DB Jourdan Lewis & OL Patrick Mekari

With the Jaguars adding Bates and Davis in one day, those are blue-chip players who will have big dollar signs attached to their deals while they are in Jacksonville. Davis is under contract for the next few years while the Jaguars will likely attempt to sign Bates to a deal in the range of three seasons before the regular-season ends. Add in the expiring deal of Parker Washington and a few other key Jaguars, and cap space will be needed.

Two ways the Jaguars can create that cap space? By shedding some contracts of older veterans such as Jourdan Lewis and Patrick Mekari. The Jaguars didn't find replacements for them like they found replacements for Murray and Hamilton, but Lewis and Mekari still offer two clear ways to save money without hurting the on-field product all that much. Lewis has made some big plays for the Jaguars this season but could be slowing down ahead of the final year of his deal, while Mekari has not seen the field this year due to injuries.

According to OverTheCap, the Jaguars would save $8 million in cap if they release Lewis with a post-June 1st designation. Add in another $13 million if they release Mekari, and the Jaguars could create $21 million by moving on from two older players who were likely always going to be short-term stop-gaps to begin with. Add in the Murray move, and that is almost $30 million in cap space freed up.