Jaguars Have Defining Defensive Decisions On the Horizon

The Jacksonville Jaguars are looking to build off their success in 2025, but limited cap space threatens to cut their momentum short. To make matters worse, plenty of impactful players are set to leave in free agency, many for the first time in their careers.

Travis Etienne Jr. is already confirmed to be hitting the open market, and each season in which he played 17 games has resulted in him cracking 1,000 yards of offense for the Jaguars. What's another one of their playmakers they have to keep a tab on?

Highest Graded Safeties

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen runs off the field before an NFL football AFC Wild Card playoff matchup, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. Bills lead 10-7 at the half over the Jaguars. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Thomas Valentine writes for Pro Football Focus, and he wrote an article breaking down the highest graded safeties from last season. Antonio Johnson leads the list as the best safety in the NFL, and he's entering the last season of his rookie contract.

"Antonio Johnson’s slow-burning first two seasons in the NFL were compounded by a lackluster 43.8 PFF grade in 2024, but the former Texas A&M Aggie fully broke out in his third season in the NFL on one of the NFL’s most-improved defenses. Johnson’s exemplary play in coverage was the driving force for his lift off, allowing just 202 yards while snagging five interceptions. His 87.6 PFF coverage grade led all safeties", said Valentine.

The reason why their defense was so improved last season is that their stars stepped up their play in a big way. Devin Lloyd broke out and had his most successful season in the NFL. Josh Hines-Allen brought his consistency week in and week out, and linebackers like Foyesade Oluokun rose to the occasion and made this unit a nightmare to game-plan against for opposing offenses.

Lloyd will likely be leaving in free agency unless he and the Jaguars can agree on his contract extension. That's a huge loss for a defensive engine that made everything run that much more smoothly due to his versatility. Johnson won't be leaving this offseason, but he will become an unrestricted free agent unless the Jaguars bring him back to the team.

Johnson is peaking at the right time, but it also means that his price will only continue to rise. That's bad for a team like the Jaguars, who are looking to increase their cap space over the next couple of seasons to remain competitive under Liam Coen.

They have the 24th most cap space in 2027 among all NFL teams, and that's without them signing anyone back this offseason. A franchise tag may be in play for Johnson when he's eligible next offseason.

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