The Jacksonville Jaguars are close to admitting one of their biggest free agent signings of 2021 was a major fail and could soon cut that player to add $13 million to their cap space head of NFL free agency.
Last week, the Jacksonville Jaguars started making the necessary moves to give themselves some flexibility on the free-agent market. However, it seems the $26 million they are set to have may not be where the NFC South champion’s salary cap maneuvers stop.
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On Thursday, ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler broke the news that the organization is expected to release cornerback Shaquill Griffin in the coming days. Beyond his frustrating play over two seasons with the team, the key part of the report is that the Jaguars “would save $13.1 million in cap space” with the move.
In Week 6 of 2022, Griffin suffered a back injury that knocked him out for several games before the Jacksonville Jaguars made the tough decision of placing him on injured reserve for the rest of the season. The former Seattle Seahawks star would end up missing the team’s strong finish to the year and shocking come-from-behind win in the Wild Card round of the NFL Playoffs.
The Jacksonville Jaguars reportedly had hopes of trading the 2019 Pro Bowler with him healthy and expected to be ready for training camp, however, it seems no teams were willing to give up assets for the third-round pick in 2017.
After four impressive seasons in Seattle, Griffin was one of the Jaguars’ top free-agent additions in the spring of 2021 when they signed him to a three-year, $40 million contract. In his first season in Florida, Shaquill Griffin earned a 73.2 grade from Pro Football Focus. The second-highest grade for the Jacksonville Jaguars that year.
However, Griffin was not quite as productive in 2022 and scored a 61.8 grade over the five games he appeared in last season.