Reality Sets in for Jaguars and the Franchise Tag

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars have never seemed like a likely franchise tag candidate as a team. With the franchise tag prices officially announced by the NFL on Friday, this now feels all but certain.

The Jaguars have two top names set to be free agents in the next 10 days in linebacker Devin Lloyd and running back Travis Etienne. If the Jaguars wanted to ensure there was no chance of losing one of them, they could use the franchise tag on either, but the numbers at linebacker and running back don't seem to make much sense.

Franchise tag numbers

The official franchise tag number for Devin Lloyd at linebacker would be $26,865,000. This would be significantly more than the average annual value of the largest linebacker deal in the league (and in NFL history) with Fred Warner's $21 million a year. Making Lloyd the highest-paid linebacker in football in 2026 by nearly $6 million doesn't seem like a move the Jaguars should be making, especially considering their cap situation.

That isn't the say the Jaguars wouldn't miss Lloyd. He was a second-team All-Pro in 2025 after having five interceptions and a host of big plays for the 13-4 Jaguars and their vastly improved defense. Lloyd had the best year of his career, and the former first-round pick is rightfully due to cash in as a result.

Official 2026 NFL franchise tag numbers: https://t.co/t9KwwgtNi6 pic.twitter.com/ZiptF5gWuS
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) February 27, 2026

"Such an impactful season. What he meant to our end result was certainly notable. The way in which he operated on a daily, weekly basis was really cool to watch and observe. He committed himself to being the best version. The connection between him, the coaching staff was real. He was being deployed in the right ways," Jaguars general manager James Gladstone said last month.

"Extremely happy for Devin and his production this season and finding real footing in a way that aligned with what he knew he could be. Look forward to working through the offseason process with our coaching staff and everyone else to determine what's best for everybody and seeing if there's something to be done. But nonetheless, the role that he had in what we did this season was real and I think it was very vivid for all to see."

Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd (0) enters the stadium before an NFL football game at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As for the running back position, the franchise tag is set to be $14,293,000. That would rank fifth in the NFL in contract average, behind only Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffrey, Derrick Henry, and Johnathan Taylor. With Javonte Williams signing an $8 million a year deal with Dallas, this kind of money makes little sense for Etienne.

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