The Jaguars have lost a lot more than they’ve gained in free agency this week, but General Manager James Gladstone says that’s all part of the plan.
Gladstone says the Jaguars decided to prioritize compensatory picks, which are awarded to teams when they lose free agents and don’t sign other teams’ free agents.
“We’re at a stage now where a higher volume of draft capital is what we’re hunting, and those compensatory picks,” Gladstone said.
The Jaguars currently project to receive three 2027 compensatory picks: A fourth-round pick for the $15 million per year contract linebacker Devin Lloyd signed with the Panthers, a fifth-round pick for the $13 million per year contract running back Travis Etienne signed with the Saints, and a sixth-round pick for the $10 million per year contract cornerback Greg Newsome signed with the Giants. Gladstone says he’s happy for those players and happy to get the picks.
“High-priced free agents of ours ended up signing elsewhere, well-deserved contracts,” Gladstone said. “They did their part to put themselves in really sound positions to earn that. Excited for all those guys. In return, by not signing any outside free agents, we recoup 2027 draft capital.”
Gladstone noted that adding draft picks isn’t only about building through the draft. It’s also about trading picks for veteran players, as the Jaguars did twice last season to build up their receiving corps.
“I think on its surface you would think, oh, you’re going to make picks in 2027, whereas in reality, those draft picks and having more of them actually allows you the luxury of remaining in the hunt at different intervals throughout the entire calendar year for acquiring players,” Gladstone said. “You think about training camp a year ago and using a Day 3 pick to acquire a wide receiver in Tim Patrick. You think about ahead of the trade deadline and being able to use two picks on Day 3 to acquire a wide receiver in Jacoby Meyers. Without that draft capital at your disposal, you may not be as willing or able to relinquish some of those future picks. So by building that up now, it allows us the luxury of remaining with the flexibility to do those sorts of things as we move into the next stages of the offseason and into the regular season.”
It’s an approach that doesn’t generate much attention in free agency, but can pay off in the season.