The Jacksonville Jaguars have released Gabe Davis. The 26-year-old wide receiver was one year into a three-year, $39 million contract that included $24 million guaranteed.
Davis spent four years in Buffalo before joining the Jaguars and was expected to be a big-play target for quarterback Trevor Lawrence. However, Davis played only 10 games in 2024 and recorded career lows with 20 receptions for 239 yards and two touchdowns.
Why Did the Jaguars Release Gabe Davis?
The Jaguars designated Davis as a post-June 1 release resulting a $5.7 million dead cap hit instead of the $20.3 million dead cap charge hit if they has not made this designation. The Jags won’t see the $794,118 in savings until June 1. The Jags also need to sign their rookie draft class and are expected to need to spend around $10 million to do so.
The Jaguars cleaned house after the 2024 season, including the dismissals of head coach Doug Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke. The decision to release Davis could be seen as part of a larger organizational shift. Remember, Jacksonville also traded up in the NFL Draft to select two-way superstar Travis Hunter.
James Gladstone, a protege of Rams GM Les Snead, was hired as GM in February 2025 with a mandate to remake the franchise from top to bottom. Moving on from Davis and eating his salary and cap space is a big step in that direction.
In January 2025, the Jags named Liam Coen head coach. He was previously the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator and instrumental in revitalizing the career of quarterback Baker Mayfield. The Bucs had a top-five offense in 2024, ranking third in total offense (399.5 YPG), third in passing offense (250.4 YPG), fourth in rushing offense (149.1 YPG), and fourth in scoring offense (29.5 YPG). Mayfield threw for over 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns and earned a three-year, $100 million dollar contract extension with Tampa.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have released WR Gabe Davis, the team announced today.
— JaguarsPR (@JaguarsPR) May 7, 2025
The #Jaguars signed Gabe Davis to a 3-year, $39M deal last offseason. He played just 10 games, finishing with 20 catches for 239 yards. With a new GM and HC in place, the team is eating the money and moving on. https://t.co/WqyrFMrH5g
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) May 7, 2025
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The 34-year-old Gladstone spent nine years with the Los Angeles Rams. He started his career as a school teacher and football coach in Missouri. He joined the Rams in 2016 as a senior assistant to General Manager Les Snead. He became player personnel coordinator in 2018 and later became director of scouting strategy. He’s the youngest GM in the NFL.
Coen is another branch off of the Sean McVay coaching tree. He was a star quarterback at the University of Massachusetts and went into coaching upon graduation. He bounced around between the NFL and NCAA for several years, including an impressive stint in 2022 as offensive coordinator for the Rams under McVay.
Coen had an impressive first interview with the Jags, then removed his name from consideration due to an awkward situation at general manager. Jaguars owner Shad Khan sorted that mess out, firing Baalke mere hours after Coen had skipped a second in-person interview with team executives. Jacksonville hired Coen as their next head coach on Jan. 24, 2025.
Gladstone’s first big move occurred on the first day of the 2025 NFL Draft. He traded the Jags’ No. 5 pick, a second-round pick (No. 36), a fourth-round pick (No. 126), and a 2026 first-round pick to the Cleveland Browns for the rights to Hunter with the No. 2 pick, a fourth-round pick (No. 104), and a sixth-round pick (No. 200).