The Jacksonville Jaguars made a significant move on Wednesday morning of May 7, as the team officially released wide receiver Gabe Davis. This move happened a year into his three-year, $39 million contract with the team after signing with the Jaguars last season.
Davis was not able to be very productive in his singular season with Jacksonville, as he posted career lows across the board. In 10 games (nine starts), he recorded 20 receptions on 42 targets for 239 yards (12.0 yards per catch) with a pair of receiving touchdowns.
With a new regime in Duval in general manager James Gladstone and coach Liam Coen looking to step up and change the Jaguars’ culture, this move came as a surprise.
What Does Releasing Gabe Davis Mean for the Jacksonville Jaguars?
Prior to joining Jacksonville, Davis spent four seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He was a big signing last offseason for the Jaguars to join the team and have quarterback Trevor Lawrence get him the ball. Nevertheless, just a year later, the front office has decided to release him, and it will include a big hit on the cap for Jacksonville.
According to Spotrac, $24 million of the $39 million was guaranteed at the time of signing, and Davis was set to be a $6,494,117 cap hit for the 2025 season. The $1.5 million salary as well as a $10 million option for the 2025 season were both fully guaranteed, making the dead cap for this move $20.3 million.
This is another sign of a change in Jacksonville, as Davis is not the only star pass catcher to see a change of scenery this offseason. Both wide receiver Christian Kirk and tight end Evan Engram are also no longer with the team.
Even with the massive dead cap figure, it appears that Jacksonville’s front office was ready to move on from Davis rather than keep him for the season to pair with Brian Thomas Jr. and rookie Travis Hunter.
The Jaguars are in the middle of the league in terms of their available cap space. They have a little more than $27.1 million remaining on the 2025 cap as well as $34.2 million for the 2026 cap projection.
This move signifies something that was becoming apparent throughout the offseason. The Jaguars franchise is ready to turn the corner on mistakes made by the previous regime and is now ready to move forward as it aims toward the future with a young quarterback and potentially two superstar receivers.
As for Davis, it remains to be seen where he’ll end up, but it’s easy to speculate that he’ll land somewhere else quickly.