Jacksonville’s new regime continues to reshape its pass-catching corps. A year after Trent Baalke gave Gabe Davis a lucrative contract in free agency, James Gladstone is moving on.
Following the exits of Christian Kirk and Evan Engram, the Jaguars announced a Davis release. The $13MM-per-year player is back in free agency after a disappointing Jags debut. The team added Travis Hunter in the draft, and the 2024 Heisman winner team with 2024 first-round pick Brian Thomas Jr.
This release will bring a steep price for the Jags. As the team will build around two first-round contracts at the position to complement Trevor Lawrence‘s $55MM-per-year deal, they will incur a $20MM dead money hit by cutting Davis. That is on the higher end in WR history, but incoming regimes are generally less concerned about taking on notable cap hits for previous staffs’ failed investments.
After a productive Buffalo tenure, Davis indeed qualified as a failed signing. The Jags could reduce this dead cap considerably by designating Davis a post-June 1 cut. In that event, the team could take the dead money down to just $5.7MM for 2025 — with the rest of the bill due in 2026.
Davis caught only 20 passes last season, producing only 239 yards — by far a career-low mark — in a season that ended with a meniscus surgery. That contributed heavily to the low yardage total, as Davis missed seven games. The former fourth-round find had arrived in Jacksonville on the heels of a 746-yard Buffalo finale. The former Stefon Diggs sidekick had posted 27 regular-season touchdown receptions with the Bills and delivered one of the greatest receiver performances in playoff history — via a four-TD night in a Bills-Chiefs classic in the 2021 divisional round. The Central Florida alum did not closely resemble that version with the Jags.
Davis’ 2024 and ’25 free agencies will not produce comparable price tags. With the Jags tied to the sixth-year veteran’s 2025 money, offset language could allow Davis’ next team to add him for the veteran minimum. That would slightly subtract from the Jaguars’ dead money total. But they will still take a significant loss here. But Gladstone appears fine doing so, having made a blockbuster trade to secure Hunter as his new offensive centerpiece. Suddenly, a Jags team that had several veteran pass catcher salaries is not tied to much in that area.
Jacksonville carried eight-figure-per-year deals for Kirk, Engram and Davis last year. In 2023, the team rostered Kirk, Engram, Zay Jones‘ $8MM-per-year contract and Calvin Ridley‘s fifth-year option. Baalke’s final offseason featured a push to retain Ridley despite having given Davis a three-year, $39MM deal hours into the legal tampering period. Tennessee outbid both Jacksonville and New England for Ridley, but the Jags were still carrying a pricey skill-position corps. A year later, all those contracts are gone — even if Davis’ could still linger on the payroll through 2026 (depending on a post-June 1 decision).
A boundary wideout known for deep production in Buffalo, Davis ranked as PFR’s No. 23 overall free agent. He posted a career-high 836 receiving yards in 2022 and scored either six or seven touchdowns in each of his four Bills seasons. Davis will head into an age-26 season in 2025, which will certainly give him a chance to bounce back. But teams will certainly be leery of Davis being a Josh Allen creation as his second free agency commences.
Oh Trent Baalke. Even the free agents you signed to only two year deals didn’t make it to the end of their contracts.
Davis can probably be a decent piece for someone, but we can stop pretending one day he’s going to consistently be a big game threat just because it’s happened half a dozen times over a five year career. It’s not just what you can do, it’s how often you can realistically do it.
Not being sarcastic at all but … half dozen?
That many?
That’s his total number of regular season 100 yard games, so I used that as a back of the napkin number. Even though it’s that one playoff game against KC that makes people dream he could be more than he is.
Davis is a good wideout who signed into a bad situation.
He’s clearly best as a #2 to a bonafide #1, and that is definitely not what happened in Jacksonville.
A number of teams could still use his services this year, including of course the Steelers.
What Baalke did makes sense considering Jacksonville didn’t have a young true #1. He signed a bunch of promising young guys who had shown flashes on their rookie deals of potentially being a #1 or #2 in Kirk and Davis and brought in some other talented guys but then when Jacksonville finally found one in Thomas Jr, they didn’t need those pricy free agents anymore. Maybe Kirk would still be there if he hadn’t gotten injured but I doubt it. Davis clearly wasn’t gonna be though.
He’s a good, but not great #2. After today’s trade, Pittsburgh might already be on the phone, and I think he’d do well with a true #1 on the team, but only if the QB situation turns out positively (not assured).
How can Pittsburgh’s quarterback situation turn out positive? It’s Rudolph, Rodgers or Cousins
Steelers most likely could sign him. They just lobbed Pickens over to Dallas and now Gabe is available too? Perfect timing
Other landing spots could be Jets, Browns, Bengals, Seahawks or even Titans
Green Bay too maybe
Green Bay MAYBE but my goodness they are chocked full of WRs lol. Wicks Reed Golden Savion Doubs Heath Watson and a couple others.
Davis to the Steelers makes a great deal of sense but given their road map this off season, who knows? They like Roman Wilson, but the kid has never been able to get on the field. They signed Robert Woods, which would haven great five years ago.
As a fan, it’s difficult to understand what they’re doing other than pre-positioning themselves for the ‘26 draft
It’s a little bit of everything tbh. I’m no sports analyst or scout but I think ‘25 is a bridge year for Steelers. Tomlin has great job security with ownership and front office. They’re willing to wait in the corner like a well behaved toddler for Rodgers who is obviously a bridge option. Rudolph is a backup but still BRIDGE option. I wouldn’t be shocked if Steelers have their eyes on arch manning already
Agreed, although they’d still have to move up in the draft to get a QB of that caliber. Hard to imagine a season of just 2 or 3 wins
Just really a strange off season here and the mystery comes in the form of trading for DK and extending him. Again, their road map seems to be going in a lot of different directions
Two guys on here pretending that the Steelers are tanking before the season has even started. Hilarious. This is the Steelers we are talking about, they shoot for their 9 wins and call it a year. Fans with the idea of tearing a team down and rebuilding before the ball has even been snapped are a joke
I never said they’re tanking I’m just saying 2025 is a bridge year for them. They’re investing in the future. They tossed their starting WR RB and QB and are waiting for a 40 year old vet to sign a one year deal with them.
@sentinelATL. Arch is most likely two years away. Going off of history. They definitely listened to Archibald sr. Speaking of Peyton and eli. I would imagine the brother would follow the same road map regarding his son.
Depends on year arch has
Davis always flashed real talent in BUF. The numbers seem average but he’d be a very good roll of the dice for the Steelers’ WR2.
He made hard catches look easy and easy catches look hard! He also would make a different (aka wrong) read of zone defenders which lead to at least 7 interceptions.
His inconsistency had you jumping for joy one play and throwing a brick at your tv the next play.
It will be interesting where he goes, if Allen is ok with him he’s back in Buffalo, otherwise strong chance he’s in Pittsburgh
Their cap situation is bad but Giants could use him. Aside from Nabers, only have Slayton and Wan’Dale Robinson as reliable, experienced WRs. I don’t think you can count on Zach Pascal, Ihmir Smith-Marsette, or Lil’Jordan Humphrey. Davis would be an upgrade over any of those last three. Again, though, their cap situation probably precludes this idea.
No thank you.
Turns out if people question if you actually are good. Then you don’t have NFL MVP Josh Allen making you look good, and in the end you suck….you might not actually be good?