Marcell Dareus isn’t the only Jaguars defender who will have his option declined. The Jaguars will also decline the 2020 option for linebacker Jake Ryan, as NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets.
Had his option been exercised, $1MM of Ryan’s $5.5MM base salary would have been guaranteed for the coming season. Instead, they’ll wipe that out, and carve out some badly needed cap room.
At the start of the offseason, the Jaguars had just over $1MM in available cap space. By shedding Dareus and Ryan, they’ve carved out a bit of flexibility as they look to keep Yannick Ngakoue and address needs on both sides of the ball.
These were not particularly tough calls, and more cap clearing moves are likely on the way. Tight end Geoff Swaim and oft-injured receiver Marqise Lee are also expected to be dropped. In total, those four moves would save them more than $34MM. They can find even more space by cutting or trading Calais Campbell to save $15MM, though they’d probably prefer to find middle ground with him by way of an extension.
Ryan, who turns 28 this week, missed all of the 2018 season thanks to an ACL tear and played in just two games last year. Before that, he started in 27 games for the Packers between 2015 and 2017.
I love these articles. 1 minute, a team is nearly at the cap maximum (oh no, what to do)!!! Then 4 quick moves later, they have $30+m in space. Golly shocking.
Campbell will look great in Broncos orange
I sincerely hope they do not cut Calais. He has solidified the D-line for the Jags, and, even better, he’s a leader in the locker room and an incredible person. Definitely my favorite player.