JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — When the Jacksonville Jaguars spent the first week of free agency on the sidelines, it wasn’t a shock. It was, however, quite the shift.
The Jaguars were never expected to be active participants in the 2026 free agency cycle, whether due to cap restraints, the weakness of the class, the Jaguars’ compensatory picks, and more. But it was certainly territory that the Jaguars have rarely been in.
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
The last time the Jaguars spent a free agency period watching from the outside was in 2023, when their list of external free agents consisted of Brandon McManus, Josh Wells, D’Ernest Johnson, Michael Dogbe, and Henry Mondeaux. Far from a murder’s row, and a group that could not prevent the Jaguars from missing the playoffs/.
But there is reason to believe things will be different this time in around. The biggest reason? The history of James Gladstone and Liam Coen.
Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen speaks during a press conference as general manager James Gladstone looks on at the Miller Electric Center, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Rams Path
For Gladstone and Coen, each has been shown a path toward winning that does not include active participation in free agency due to their time with the Los Angeles Rams. This does not mean the Rams never spent in free agency while the two were with them, but more often than not, the Rams took the same patient approach the Jaguars have taken this season.
In 2023, the Rams’ biggest outside free agent was Demarcus Robinson on a $1.165 million deal. They picked up five comp picks, with two being used on contributors Beaux Limmer and Jordan Whittington. In 2021, they picked up five more picks and spent little in free agency, and they got a player named Puka Nacua with a comp pick who you may have heard of.
Nov 23, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
In short, Gladstone and Coen have each seen this approach work. It doesn’t mean it will happen every offseason, as the Rams showed. They will pick their spots to be agressive. But the lack of free agency should not deter from the Jaguars’ expectations.
“Yeah, I think FOMO sets in a little bit, we’re all human. While at the same time, it’s not uncharted territory for me. It’s not uncharted territory for Liam. He was with us at the Rams and this was an approach that we took in multiple cycles,” Gladstone said last week.
Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone, right, speaks as head coach Liam Coen looks on 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
“And it’s really one that I know well and feel confident we can navigate and really be able to use all the different intervals that lie in front of us to continue to shape what will be the 2026 Jacksonville Jaguars.”