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The Jaguars Are Paying 3 Pass Rushers $63 Million This Season, and They Have 4.5 Combined Sacks
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- The Jaguars Are Paying 3 Pass Rushers $63 Million This Season, and They Have 4.5 Combined Sacks
Josh Hines-Allen, Travon Walker and Arik Armstead are collecting $63 million in cash from the Jacksonville Jaguars this season. Through six games, the three of them have 4.5 sacks combined. That's the number that jumps out first as the 4-2 Jaguars come out of the bye to host the Colts, and it's why we asked during the week off whether Jacksonville could find a pass rush at all.
Add Trevor Lawrence and Jakobi Meyers, and the Jaguars' five highest-paid players are being paid $117.1 million in 2026, according to Over the Cap . We lined up each contract's average annual value against others at the same position, then compared it with PFF grades and the box score. Duval has the AFC's safest division lead , but the money is split between players who are earning it and players who aren't.
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Travon Walker's extension is ahead of his play
Sep 21, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Travon Walker (44) pressures the quarterback against the Houston Texans at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Travis Register-Imagn Images
Walker signed a four-year, $110 million extension this year, and his $27.5 million average ranks 14th among edge rushers. His cap hit is just $6.8 million, but he's collecting $25.5 million in cash, the second-most on the team.
His 62.5 PFF grade ranks 62nd among 112 qualified edge defenders, and his 62.6 pass-rush grade is 57th. Walker has been around the quarterback, with 21 pressures that rank 19th, but only two of them have turned into sacks by the official count. PFF credits him with three.
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Josh Hines-Allen is winning against the run
Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Josh Hines-Allen (41) tackles New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) in the second quarter during an NFL football game at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, September 27, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]
Hines-Allen's five-year, $141.25 million deal averages $28.25 million, 11th among edge rushers. He's collecting $23 million this season, and he's closer to that price than the sack total suggests.
His 77.1 PFF grade ranks 18th among 113 edge defenders, driven by a 77.4 run-defense grade that ranks ninth. The pass rush is the problem. His 64.4 pass-rush grade ranks 51st, and he has 17 pressures with 1.5 official sacks. He also led the fallers in our stock report after the loss to Houston in London.
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Arik Armstead is the biggest gap on the roster
Oct 11, 2026; Tottenham, ENG; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) drops back to pass as Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Arik Armstead (91) pursues during the first quarter at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn ImagesNathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Armstead's three-year, $43.5 million deal pays $14.5 million a year, which is also exactly what he's collecting in 2026 cash. Over the Cap files him with the edge rushers, where that average ranks 30th, but he lines up inside and PFF grades him with the interior linemen.
Either way, the production hasn't been there. Armstead has a 49.4 PFF grade , 101st among 126 qualified interior defenders, with a 56.0 pass-rush grade and nine pressures. He has one sack. At 32, he's the oldest of the five, and his $19.4 million cap hit is second among them behind Lawrence.
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Trevor Lawrence is earning the biggest check
Oct 18, 2026; London, ENG; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) throws the ball during the second half against the Houston Texans at Wembley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Lawrence's five-year, $275 million extension averages $55 million, seventh among quarterbacks. He's collecting $37.5 million in cash this season, the most on the roster.
He's been worth it. Lawrence has thrown 14 touchdown passes against four interceptions with a 106.3 passer rating, and PFF ranks his touchdown total fourth among qualified quarterbacks. His 73.7 passing grade ranks 12th among 35 qualified quarterbacks, though his 71.5 overall grade sits 19th. NFL Network's Bucky Brooks went further, saying Lawrence is playing at an MVP level .
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Jakobi Meyers is about what Jacksonville paid for
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (3) runs after a catch against the Tennessee Titans on Jan. 4, 2026.Travis Register-Imagn Images
Meyers' three-year, $60 million extension averages $20 million, 27th among wide receivers. He's collecting $16.6 million this season against a $6.2 million cap hit.
His 71.9 PFF grade ranks 31st among 80 qualified receivers, close to where his contract slots him. He has 20 catches on 28 targets for 285 yards and two touchdowns, with just one drop, per PFF. Parker Washington has more yards, with 416, and the receiver room has been reshuffled around Brian Thomas Jr.'s status , so Meyers has been a steady second option.
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Why the 2027 cap makes this harder
Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Travon Walker (44) and Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Davon Hamilton (52) celebrate a tackle in the second quarter during an NFL football game at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, September 27, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]
Add it up and Lawrence is earning his deal, Hines-Allen and Meyers are close, and Walker and Armstead are falling short. That leaves $40 million of this year's cash going to the two players giving the Jaguars the least back.
Jacksonville can't easily spend its way around that. Over the Cap had the Jaguars about $18.1 million over the projected 2027 cap at the end of September, and the current cap sheet limits their options to replace Anton Harrison before the Nov. 10 deadline. Armstead's deal is set to void after this season, which gives the front office one way out. Walker is signed through 2030.
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This story was originally published by Athlon on Oct 29, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
