The Jacksonville Jaguars are retooling their roster after their late season collapse held them out of the playoffs. Despite that retooling, the Jaguars are looking to do anything they can to keep Josh Allen on the roster.
That includes Jacksonville's latest move of releasing cornerback Darious Williams, via Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. His release saves the Jaguars $10.5 million in cap space. The Jaguars are also releasing safety Rayshawn Jenkins, via Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report.
The Jaguars have been widely expected to use the franchise tag on Allen as they continue to work towards a long-term deal. That tag will pay Allen $24 million. After Williams' release, Jacksonville will have $39.5 million to work with in cap space, the 17th-most in the league, via Spotrac.
Williams played a major role in Jacksonville's secondary, starting all 17 games in 2023. He racked up 52 tackles, 19 passes defended and four interceptions. The cornerback ranked second in the league in passes defended and earned an impressive 79.5 grade from Pro Football Focus.
However, Allen has transformed into the face of Jacksonville's defense and one of the premier edge rushers in the NFL. Over 17 starts in 2023, Allen put up 66 tackles, 33 quarterback hits and 17.5 sacks. He ranked behind just Pittsburgh Steelers star in total sacks, tying for second-most in the league.
To begin their offseason, the Jaguars are putting all of their attention on Josh. While they'd prefer a long-time deal, the Jaguars plan to at least make sure he stays in town with the franchise tag. But at $24 million, the Jags needed some extra cash.
Darious Williams ended up drawing the short end of the stick. After his strong 2023 performance, the cornerback should draw plenty of interest in the open market. But the player Jacksonville is interested in the most is their star Allen.
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