{"id":139234,"date":"2026-02-01T00:42:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-01T00:42:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/139234\/"},"modified":"2026-02-01T00:42:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-01T00:42:16","slug":"three-intriguing-free-agent-options-for-jaguars-after-extended-cap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/139234\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Intriguing Free Agent Options For Jaguars After Extended Cap"},"content":{"rendered":"

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars, like the rest of the NFL, are likely celebrating right now. <\/p>\n

Jaguars general manager James Gladstone <\/a>and 31 other decision-makers got good news from the league on Friday, with NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reporting another giant leap in the salary cap — this time up to the range of $301.2 million to $305.7 million. <\/p>\n

So, with an increased cap and some expanded flexibility for a Jaguars <\/a>team that still needs to create cap space, here are a few intriguing players to consider in March’s free agency.<\/p>\n

LB Justin Strnad \"JUSTIN<\/p>\n

Jan 4, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos linebacker Justin Strnad (40) celebrates after a sack during the second half against the Los Angeles Chargers at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

It feels like it would be a surprise at this point if Devin Lloyd <\/a>returns to the Jaguars next season considering the pay-day figures many are projecting him to hit in March. If that happens, then the Jaguars have a few options at linebacker: promote Ventrell Miller or Jack Kiser to a starting role, draft a starting linebacker, or sign a veteran.<\/p>\n

If the Jaguars go with a veteran, Broncos linebacker Justin Strnad makes a lot of sense. A former 5th-round pick who has grown from depth piece to defensive play-maker, Strnad has 7.5 sacks and 12 quarterback hits over the last two years. The Jaguars will miss Lloyd’s blitzing, and this could help move on from it.<\/p>\n

DE Derek Barnett\"DEREK<\/p>\n

Nov 16, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Houston Texans defensive end Derek Barnett (95) rushes against the Tennessee Titans during the second half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

While the Houston Texans’ pass-rush has long been headlined by their star defensive ends Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter, they also have some solid pass-rush depth. One of those key depth pieces is former first-round pick Derek Barnett, who appeared in 44 combined regular-season and playoff games for Houston over the last few seasons.<\/p>\n

Barnett, who has 10 sacks and 17 quarterback hits over the last two seasons despite playing just 36% of the Texans’ snaps, makes sense as a player who can be a No. 3 defensive end while still giving the Jaguars the run defense they require out of their edge rushers. <\/p>\n

CB Rasul Douglas\"NF\"<\/p>\n

Oct 12, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins cornerback Rasul Douglas (26) enters the field prior to a game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-Imagn Images | Rich Storry-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

A talented cover-man who has been around the block in his career, Rasul Douglas could be a valuable and familiar addition for the Jaguars. He was in Miami with new Jaguars defensive passing game coordinator Mathieu Araujo<\/a>, so the Jaguars would know exactly what kind of player they are getting in free agency. <\/p>\n

Douglas is an older player so it seems unlikely that he will get a major pay-day regardless of how strong of a season he had with the Dolphins in 2025. If the Jaguars want to add another veteran to the mix at cornerback, he makes a lot of sense as a potential option. <\/p>\n

Never again miss one major story related to your beloved Jaguars when you sign up for our 100% FREE newsletter that comes straight to your email with the latest news. \u00a0SIGN UP HERE NOW.<\/a><\/p>\n

Follow us on X (Twitter)\u00a0@JaguarsOnSI\u00a0<\/a>and\u00a0@_John_Shipley<\/a>\u00a0and make sure you like our Facebook page,\u00a0WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars, like the rest of the NFL, are likely celebrating right now. Jaguars…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":139235,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[116,118,117],"class_list":["post-139234","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139234","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=139234"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139234\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/139235"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=139234"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=139234"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=139234"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}