3 Observations on Jaguars Restructuring Eric Murray, Patrick Mekari

JACKSONVILLE, FLA. — The Jacksonville Jaguars took their first steps toward fixing their cap issues on Friday.

The Jaguars and general manager James Gladstone managed to save over $10 million in cap space by restructuring the deals of safety Eric Murray and guard Patrick Mekari, but what do we make of each move?

Always made sense for both to stay

While there has been some who have pointed to both Murray and Patrick Mekari as possible options to get moved on from this offseason, that never quite made sense for the Jaguars — who just signed both players in free agency a year ago. While each player is in a different situation, the Jaguars can get value out of both veterans during the 2026 season with relative ease.

Murray can command one safety spot opposite of Antonio Johnson or Caleb Ransaw, depending on who wins a job out of camp. And if the time comes the Jaguars want both their young safeties on the field, Murray will be a strong leader for the room. As for Mekari, he was hampered by injuries all last season and still provides the ability to play all 5 offensive line spots. There is value in that.

Jaguars are not far off from being cap compliant

Jan 4, 2026; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars executive vice president of football operations Tony Boselli and general manager James Gladstone look on after the game against the Tennessee Titans at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Travis Register-Imagn Images | Travis Register-Imagn Images

It won’t be very hard for the Jaguars to get under the salary cap now. The Jaguars are just a few million away from being cap compliant in time for the start of the new league year on Wednesday, and there are a few easy moves they can make to get there. With that in mind, don’t expect them to change course on their expected strategy.

The Jaguars are still better off playing the wait-and-see game when it comes to free agency. As the Jaguars showed last year with the Dennis Gardeck signing, free agency does not end in March. They will still have options, and they will ensure they get to a comfortable spot with their cap space to give them the complete flexibility they need this offseason.

Who is next?

Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone speaks during a press conference at the Miller Electric Center, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With Mekari and Murray’s deals now redone, the question is what move will the Jaguars next make to free up some money. Considering they will need several million to also sign their draft class, there is work to be done. Two solutions could be trading Walker Little or extending Travon Walker, with both solutions freeing up quite a bit of cap.

As for restructures or possible cap casualties, we have discussed the obvious candidates at length: Arik Armstead, Foyesade Oluokun, and Ezra Cleveland. The Jaguars’ options on all 3 are wide open.