The Jaguars have released defensive lineman Red Bryant, according to Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union (on Twitter).
Bryant’s release had been rumored for some time due to his cap number for the coming season. At a presser yesterday, GM David Caldwell told reporters that no decision had been made on Bryant’s situation yet, but that might not have been exactly true.
Bryant, 31 in April, saw time in all 16 games in his first and only season for the Jaguars. In total, he racked up 23 tackles to go with one pass deflection and one sack. Bryant graded out as being just below average according to Pro Football Focus‘ (subscription required) metrics, coming in with a -1.6 grade. Overall, that placed him No. 31 out of 59 qualified 4-3 defensive ends.
Bryant’s contract called for him to earn $19MM in total between the years of 2014 and 2017. However, his only guaranteed money came in year one between his $3.5MM roster bonus and $1.225MM base salary in ’14. By dropping Bryant, the Jaguars have given themselves $4.5MM in cap savings for the coming year while adding additional flexibility in years to come.