Why Jaguars are Closer to Super Bowl LXI Than Expected

The Jacksonville Jaguars, along with 30 other teams, have an offseason ahead of them to plan how to usurp the Seattle Seahawks as the reigning champions. Despite exiting in the first round, the Jags felt close this season, closer in spirit than they've been since at least 2017.

Jacksonville might have advanced to the Divisional Round back in 2022, but that roster was far from a title contender. 2025's team felt much more capable of making a deep playoff run and maybe even stealing a victory in the Super Bowl. After all, they only lost to the champion Seahawks by eight points back in Week 6, and that was before they really found their groove on both sides of the ball.

Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL, Seattle Seahawks, Head Coach Liam Coen — Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen looks on during the second quarter of an NFL football matchup, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Seahawks defeated the Jaguars 20-12. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jaguars expected to be back in the mix

As encouraging as the Jacksonville Jaguars looked in the 2025 NFL season, in their first year under Liam Coen, James Gladstone, Anthony Campanile, and Grant Udinski, it's not a guarantee that only better things are ahead. There have been plenty of seemingly promising NFL teams that peaked much earlier than expected (see: the 2021 Cincinnati Bengals).

The Jaguars have a couple of things in their favor, though. For one, many of their key players are still young and growing, including Trevor Lawrence, Travon Walker, Brian Thomas Jr., Brenton Strange, and Travis Hunter Jr. Another significant factor is that Jacksonville was able to keep its entire staff together, granting them at least one more season with continuity and a full offseason together to build on the things they've already done as a unit.

2027 Super Bowl odds.

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However, there are hurdles that the Jags will have to clear to ensure that they improve rather than regress in the 2026 season. Jacksonville has several important pieces hitting free agency in March, such as Travis Etienne Jr., Montaric Brown, and Devin Lloyd. They probably won't be able to retain them all, either, due to their limited cap flexibility entering the offseason. They also won't have a first-round pick in the draft to help replenish their roster.

Still, the Jaguars showed plenty of signs that suggest they'll be a serious threat for Super Bowl LXI. FanDuel has them tabbed at +2,000 to win it all next year, tied for 12th with the Houston Texans and the Denver Broncos.

ESPN has Jacksonville at ninth in their power rankings entering the offseason, with Michael DiRocco outlining pass rush as their biggest need on the roster: "The Jaguars did a good job of getting close to the quarterback in 2025 (222 pressures, ranked third), but not so much in getting the quarterback on the ground (32 sacks, ranked 27th)... Their interior pass rush especially needs a boost (7.5 sacks, including 5.5 by defensive tackle Arik Armstead)."

Betting odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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