Jacksonville Jaguars

Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas is not going anywhere, General Manager James Gladstone said Thursday.

He called a recent report that Jacksonville was “entertaining offers” for Thomas as “fraudulent claims.”

“I know the word ‘reputable’ came up earlier [in a previous question],” Gladstone said, via Michael DiRocco of ESPN. “I don’t think there’s been any reputable statement [that the Jaguars were shopping Thomas]. We don’t have any real action on any of those fronts, and you think back to where we landed at the end of the season, where our passing attack was, we have no interest in disrupting the momentum.

“We look forward to continuing to build off of where we left things and know that Brian Thomas is a big piece to that puzzle and we don’t want that disrupted at any time.”

Thomas, 23, earned Pro Bowl honors as a rookie when he made 87 receptions for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns. In 2025, he caught only 48 passes for 707 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games.

The Jaguars, though, are sold on Thomas as a part of their future, Gladstone said.

“I care more for what weight that might put on Brian himself when it’s something that’s entirely out of his control and unnecessary,” Gladstone said. “So I think that’s where my mind would go, if anything. But when it’s fraudulent claims, you just keep your mind on what you can focus on and you can actually control and try to do what’s best for the Jacksonville Jaguars. And ultimately that’s not the hardest thing to do when that’s the role and where you can try to compartmentalize things.”

Running back Chris Rodriguez was not tendered as a restricted free agent by the Commanders and he’s found a new place to play.

According to multiple reports, Rodriguez has agreed to terms with the Jaguars on a two-year deal. Rodriguez was at Kentucky when Jaguars head coach Liam Coen was the school’s offensive coordinator in 2021.

Rodriguez ran 112 times for 500 yards and six touchdowns with the Commanders in 2025. He had 86 carries for 430 yards and four scores in his first two seasons.

The Jaguars saw Travis Etienne sign with the Saints this week, so Rodriguez will join Bayshul Tuten, LeQuint Allen, and DeeJay Dallas on the backfield depth chart for Jacksonville.

Safety Andrew Wingard is set to become a Cardinal.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports that Wingard has agreed to terms in Arizona. It’s a one-year deal worth $3 million and incentives that could take it up to $4 million.

Wingard has spent his entire seven-year career with the Jaguars. He was a reserve for most of that time, but started 16 regular season games and the Jags’ playoff loss to the Bills in 2025.

Wingard had 88 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery in that action. He had 349 tackles, six interceptions, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries over his entire run in Jacksonville.

Johnny Mundt wasn’t unemployed for long.

Cut by the Jaguars on Monday after completing one year of a two-year deal with the Jaguars, Mundt has signed with the Eagles.

Via Mike Garafolo of NFL Media, it’s a one-year deal.

Mundt, 31, spent his first five seasons with the Rams, arriving as an undrafted free agent. He played the next four in Minnesota, before signing in Jacksonville a year ago.

He was a member of the Super Bowl LVI championship team, but he had landed on injured reserve in October with a torn ACL.

The hiring of Sean Mannion as Philly’s offensive coordinator makes Mundt a logical fit; he knows the offense that Mannion will be bringing from L.A.

The Panthers lost free agent center Cade Mays on Monday when he agreed to a deal with the Lions. They replaced Mays on Tuesday by agreeing to terms on a one-year deal worth up to $4.75 million with Luke Fortner, Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports.

Fortner, who turns 28 in May, played last season in New Orleans after a trade from Jacksonville on Aug. 17. He had taken a pay cut to remain with the Jaguars before the trade.

He entered the NFL as a third-round pick of the Jaguars in 2022, and he started every game for the team in his first two seasons. Fortner, though, made no starts in 2024.

In New Orleans, he played all 17 games, with 10 starts.

Linebacker Dennis Gardeck is staying in Jacksonville.

The Jaguars announced that they have re-signed Gardeck ahead of Wednesday’s start to the new league year. Terms of the deal were not announced.

Gardeck tore his ACL while playing for the Cardinals in 2024 and he signed a one-year deal with the Jags last June. He appeared in every game and started nine times, including in the team’s playoff loss to the Bills.

Gardeck had 48 tackles, 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble in the regular season. He added three tackles in the loss to Buffalo.

The Jaguars also confirmed that they have re-signed cornerback Montaric Brown and tight end Quintin Morris.

The Giants saw Cor’Dale Flott agree to a deal with the Titans on Monday and they are set to add a veteran cornerback to help replace him in their secondary.

Greg Newsome is expected to sign with the Giants once the new league year gets started on Wednesday. NFL reporter Jordan Schultz reports that it is a one-year deal worth up to $10 million.

Newsome was a 2021 Browns first-round pick and he remained in Cleveland until he was traded to the Jaguars last October.

Newsome had 29 tackles and an interception in his 12 games for Jacksonville. He had 178 tackles, three interceptions, a sack, and 37 passes defensed during his time in Cleveland.

The Panthers have made another move to improve their defense.

Via Mike Garafolo of NFL Media, Carolina has agreed to terms with former Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd. Per the report, it’s a three-year, $45 million deal. Of the amount, $25 million is guaranteed.

A first-round pick in 2022, the Jaguars decided after three seasons not to pick up his fifth-year option. With 2025 becoming a contract year, Lloyd made the Pro Bowl and landed on the All-Pro second team.

The Panthers signed Eagles edge rusher Jaelan Phillips early in the day.

Lloyd’s biggest play in 2025 happened in the Monday night win over the Chiefs. He dropped into coverage near the goal line, intercepted quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and returned it 99 yards for a touchdown.

Although it was hardly a big-money deal, the two-year agreement signed by Jaguars tight end Johnny Mundt illustrates the one-way nature of NFL contracts.

It was supposed to last through 2026, at a total payout of $5.5 million. The structure allowed the Jaguars to tear it up after one year and $2.75 million.

Via Tom Pelissero of NFL Media, the Jaguars have done just that.

Keep that in mind when hearing the endless hype about the MILLIONS AND BILLIONS that NFL teams are spending in free agency. For Mundt, he ultimately got 50 cents on the dollar.

The Jaguars decided that Mundt didn’t do enough in 2025 to justify paying him $2.75 million in 2026. Which is fine. But if Mundt had put together a Pro Bowl season and had asked for a raise, the Jaguars could have folded their arms and politely reminded him that he signed a contract, and that he should honor it.

The NFL announced 33 compensatory draft selections in the 2026 draft awarded to 15 teams.

Under the rules for compensatory draft selections, a team losing more or better compensatory free agents than it acquires in the previous year is eligible for compensatory draft picks. The compensatory picks are positioned within the third through seventh rounds based on the value of the compensatory free agents lost.

In addition to the 32 compensatory selections awarded under the net-loss formula, a special compensatory selection was awarded to the Lions for the Jets hiring Aaron Glenn as their head coach. The initiative is intended to promote minority hirings. The Lions traded the pick to the Jaguars.

The following 2026 compensatory draft picks were awarded for the 2026 draft, which will be held on April 23-April 25 in Pittsburgh: