Jacksonville Jaguars' five biggest storylines this offseason

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars' 2025 season is in the books and preparation for 2026 is underway.

Travis Hunter's return from a season-ending knee injury and how the Jaguars eventually settle on using him next season is one of the biggest offseason storylines.

At his season-ending news conference, general manager James Gladstone said Hunter would be be a two-way player again in 2026. Whether he'll be a cornerback first and then a receiver -- as Gladstone hinted -- or a receiver first and then a cornerback remains to be seen.

Hunter finished his rookie season as more of a receiver than corner. He played 67% of the team's offensive snaps and 36% of the defensive snaps -- mainly coming in when the Jaguars were in nickel -- before the non-contact knee injury he suffered in practice on Oct. 30 required season-ending surgery.

But Gladstone indicated that it would be the reverse in 2026.

"Obviously you can take a peak at expiring contracts on our roster and see which side of the ball has more," he said "At this point walking into the offseason, corner is a position that we have a few guys who are on expiring contracts. By default, you can expect there to be a higher emphasis on his placement [at corner]."

The Jaguars have three cornerbacks on expiring contracts: Greg Newsome II, Montaric Brown and Christian Braswell. Brown started 12 games and Newsome, whom the Jaguars acquired via trade in early October, started 11. There are two receivers whose contracts are expiring: Dyami Brown and Tim Patrick. They combined to catch 35 passes.

Hunter could start at one corner with Jourdan Lewis at the other, and in nickel situations Lewis could slide inside and Jarrian Jones would play outside, or Lewis could remain outside and Jones plays nickel.

Either way, early indications are that Hunter is primarily going to be a cornerback and have a package of plays on offense. What Gladstone does when free agency arrives will help clarify what the Jaguars will do with their two-way threat.

Here are four other major storylines for the Jaguars' 2026 offseason:

What happens with free agent RB Travis Etienne Jr. and LB Devin Lloyd?

Could either, or both, be back in 2026?

Etienne is coming off his third 1,000-yard rushing season (1,107) and posted 13 total touchdowns. He turned out to be a very good fit in coach Liam Coen's offense, improved as a pass blocker, and was the team's most consistent offensive player. He has 3,798 yards rushing in four seasons, which puts him third on the franchise's all-time list, and his 5,136 yards from scrimmage ranks fifth.

The estimated franchise tag for a running back in 2026 per OverTheCap.com would be $14.153 million, which would make Etienne the fourth-highest-paid running back in terms of annual salary. That would be nearly $3 million more than James Cook III ($11.5 million), who led the NFL in rushing in 2025.

Using the tag seems unlikely, especially since the Jaguars drafted Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen Jr. in 2025 with an eye toward replacing Etienne in 2026. Both made modest contributions as rookies: Tuten ran for 307 yards and averaged 3.7 yards per carry and Allen was used mainly as a pass protector and third-down back.

But Etienne said he wasn't ruling out coming back.

"When I got drafted here, I wanted to be one of the best running backs to ever put on a jersey," he said. "I wanted to be remembered like the guys, Fred Taylor, Maurice Jones-Drew. You want to set that standard. You want to leave a legacy."

Lloyd's situation is different. He was the No. 27 pick in 2022 -- the Jaguars traded back into the first round to select him -- and was named the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Month in September 2022. But he has had an up-and-down career since then.

He started every game he played in 2023 and 2024 and had more than 100 tackles in each season but often had issues in coverage and got caught out of position in run defense, and as a result the team opted to not pick up his fifth-year option last spring.

Lloyd responded with the best season of his career: five interceptions, one fumble recovery, 10 quarterback hits and second-team All-Pro honors.

The estimated franchise tag for linebackers, per OverTheCap.com, is $27.45 million. That's a high number to spend on a linebacker who doesn't pass rush and the Jaguars are unlikely to use the tag, so Lloyd will be a free agent.

In November, ESPN ranked Lloyd as the 23rd-best impending free agent. The only linebackers higher on the list were Quay Walker, who is coming off his rookie contract, and Khalil Mack, who turns 35 in February.

Lloyd talked around the question of whether he wanted to return.

"I just want to be where God wants me to be," he said. "At the end of the day, that's where I want to be and I'm waiting on that answer from him. Like I said, I haven't put any thought into it. Everything's been about trying to be the best player I can be for this team this year. And ultimately, I want to be where God wants me to be."

A new contract for Travon Walker?

As of now, Walker will be playing the 2026 season under his fifth-year option. And though there are no indications the team will be working on a contract extension soon, it sounds as if the Jaguars do want him around long term.

Walker played through a broken left hand and a right knee injury in 2025 and finished with 3.5 sacks (the fewest since his rookie season), 38 tackles and 13 QB hits in 14 games. The No. 1 pick in 2022 now has 27.5 sacks and 57 QB hits in four seasons.

Though Walker hasn't become the dominant pass rusher the previous regime hoped for, he has been a powerful edge setter and is very good against the run. Gladstone was effusive in his praise of Walker's work ethic, attitude and willingness to play through injuries.

"The thing that I really appreciate in watching Travon move is how much he loves this place, how much he loves his teammates," Gladstone said. "That just seeps out of his soul. Those are the type of people you want to align yourself with. It's the type of players that we want to make sure that are still in our building moving forward."

So what could a potential extension look like? It would be surprising if it were anywhere close to what Detroit gave Aidan Hutchinson, who was selected one spot after Walker: four years, $180 million, $141 million guaranteed. His $45 million annual salary is second only to Green Bay's Micah Parsons ($46.5 million) among pass rushers.

Hutchison has been a much better pass rusher than Walker: Hutchinson has 43 sacks (tied for seventh most in NFL since 2022) while playing in seven fewer games.

A better comparison could be the extension that teammate Josh Hines-Allen signed in April 2024: five years, $141.25 million with $88 million guaranteed. That's $28.25 million annually, which ranks ninth among edge rushers. Hines-Allen has 40.5 sacks since 2022, including 17.5 in 2023.

"I just play ball and let my agent and people upstairs do what they're going to do," Walker said. "I would love to be here. I wouldn't want to be nowhere else. I love this community. I love the players in this locker room. I love the coaching staff. I love everything about this organization.

"I like the trajectory that we're going and I want to be a part of it. So I'd love to be here forever."

What do the Jaguars do with WR Brian Thomas Jr.?

ESPN's Bill Barnwell wrote on Thursday that Thomas would draw significant interest if the Jaguars were willing to make him available for a trade despite a significant dip in production in 2025.

Thomas had a rough start to the 2025 season, catching 27 passes for 365 yards and one touchdown, and averaging 13.5 yards per catch with five drops in the Jaguars' first seven games. The Jaguars were using him more in the middle in those first seven games and Thomas wasn't comfortable -- he appeared to shy away from contact several times (including in the end zone against Cincinnati) -- in that role.

The Jaguars then used him differently: more outside the numbers and down the field to stretch the defense and create more openings for Jakobi Meyers, Parker Washington and Brenton Strange in the middle and on intermediate routes.

Thomas was more productive in that role, catching 21 passes for 342 yards and a touchdown, and had only one drop in the final nine games.

He also averaged nearly 3 yards more per catch -- 16.3 -- in that stretch.

But trading him isn't a wild idea. This regime didn't draft him, Washington has emerged as a major part of the offense, Meyers is locked in for at least the next two seasons, and Thomas could draw a first-round pick in return.

However, the Jaguars view Thomas as an integral part of the offense moving forward, with Coen saying he and the coaching staff would "continue to pour into guys to try to get the most out of then to help our team win as many games as humanly possible and B.T. will 100 percent be a part of that."

What happens with OL Walker Little?

On Dec. 2, 2024, Little signed a three-year, $40.5 million contract extension (with $25.9 million guaranteed) to be the Jaguars' left tackle. Thirteen months later, Cole Van Lanen signed a three-year, $51 million contract extension (with $32.5 million guaranteed) to be the Jaguars' left tackle.

Van Lanen is clearly Coen and Gladstone's choice to be the starting left tackle going forward.

So where does that leave Little in 2026? Here are some options:

He could be the backup swing tackle, but his base salary of $11 million is fully guaranteed in 2026, which would mean the Jaguars' highest-paid offensive lineman in terms of base salary wouldn't be a starter.