The Jacksonville Jaguars have released wide receiver Gabe Davis after just one season with the team. Before the 2024 season, Davis signed a three-year, $39 million contract with $24 million guaranteed.
Last year, Davis wasn’t what the Jaguars were hoping for and certainly not worth the healthy contract. He played in 10 games and caught 20 balls for 239 yards and two touchdowns. That’s not going to cut it. Davis was coming off of a solid season in 2023 with a very good Buffalo Bills team that had kind of a “meh” receiving core. Davis had 45 catches for 746 and seven touchdowns that year.
Was Davis squeezed out by Travis Hunter
The move is even less surprising when you figure the Jags just traded up to draft Travis Hunter with the No. 2-overall pick in the 2025 Draft. How they use Hunter remains to be seen.
It wouldn’t seem like the Hunter pick automatically meant there was no room for Davis. Consider the front office shakeup the Jaguars have undergone this offseason. James Gladstone is the new general manager in town and Davis wasn’t his guy. Front-office shakeups alone can be enough for a player’s departure on any team, and the Jaguars have certainly undergone a restructuring.
But, with Trevor Lawrence coming off of a concussion and working his way back from offseason shoulder surgery, the Jags certainly can’t be looking to remove weapons.
New head coach Liam Coen wants to spread it around
Jaguars head coach – even without Davis – still has lethal weapons in Hunter and second-year stud Brian Thomas, Jr. He needs Lawrence to be successful or else none of this works. And, it sounds like he wants to get everyone possible involved.
“We’re going to spread the ball out, hopefully equally,” said Coen before the NFL draft. “That was the nice thing about being last year with Tampa, and we had to play a lot of different players in different personnel groupings.
“(If) We can get more people involved in the game, especially early on, so defenses can’t just cloud BT and be all over him, that we do have other guys that can go win and be explosive with the ball in their hands, and ultimately share that wealth and share that playmaking ability.
“We’ve definitely addressed the ability to strike from a distance. You’re looking to be as explosive as you can in both the run and the pass. I think that was definitely addressed in both pro free agency and the college draft landscape.”
Expect similar moves like this where the Jags may make a surprise cut or two. Gladstone wants to come in and mold this roster in his image. That might involve some eyebrow-raising moves as he tries to see his vision to fruition.
Jaguars Make Big Decision on $39 million WR