Jaguars' Arik Armstead Lands on List of Uncertain Futures

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars will have to make some decisions when it comes to their cap space this offseason, which is never easy.

Year in and year out, teams have to part ways with valued veterans due to inflated cap hits. This year is no different for the Jaguars and for James Gladstone's front office.

For the Jaguars, the big name that has popped up again and again in cap-saving projections has been defensive tackle Arik Armstead -- a name that does not seem to be going away anytime soon.

Armstead's Place

NFL.com's Matt Okada recently took a look at a list of high-profile AFC names who could become cap casualties, and Armstead was the Jaguars' lone representative.

arik armstea — Nov 9, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Arik Armstead (91) reacts after a defensive play against the Houston Texans during the first half at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

"The Jaguars took a huge step forward in 2025, winning nine more games than they did in 2024 and clinching a division title. But that didn’t have all that much to do with their pass defense, had even less to do with their pass rush and had very little to do with Armstead," Okada said.

"At 32 years old, Armstead was largely middling on the interior of the defensive line, recording 5.5 sacks and earning an extremely average 63.0 PFF defensive grade. The issue is that he carries a $19.4 million cap hit into 2026, only $2.3 million of which becomes savings with a pre-June 1 cut."

Because of the structure of Armstead's contract, he would have to be designated a post-June 1st cut to ensure the Jaguars get the most cap flexibility. But even with that in mind, there are other questions when it comes to Armstead and his future. If the Jaguars were to move on, their massive hole at defensive tackle only becomes bigger.

With that in mind, the potential cap savings from an Armstead move can't be ignored as long as the Jaguars are working to get their cap in order.

"Instead, Armstead should be a strong consideration for one of the Jaguars’ post-June 1 cuts, which would net a whopping $14.5 million in cap savings," Okada said.

"No other post-June 1 release would come close to that for the team, so if it's looking to move on from Armstead, that designation would make a ton of sense. And considering the Jags are $11.6 million over the cap -- sixth-worst in the league -- they will likely need to make some tougher cuts to set up for another successful run in the AFC South."

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