Zay Jones is out as a Jaguar after recording 116 catches and 1,144 yards in two seasons in Jacksonville.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have released wide receiver Zay Jones and kicker Joey Slye, the team announced Tuesday.
Slye was signed as a free agent last month but his services are no longer needed after the Jaguars drafted Cam Little over the weekend.
Jones was drafted 37th overall by the Buffalo Bills out of East Carolina, where he set all-time NCAA Division 1 records for career receptions (399) and receptions in a single season (158). He was Buffalo’s most productive wide receiver as a rookie in 2017.
After playing 36 games in two-and-a-half seasons with the Bills, Jones was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders (then Oakland) for a fifth-round pick in October 2019. The Texas native spent two-and-a-half seasons out west before signing a three-year, $24 million contract with the Jaguars.
In 2022, Jones set career-highs in receptions (82), receiving yards (823) and first downs (41). His 59-yard touchdown in a Week 15 overtime win to keep the team’s playoff hopes alive was the longest play of his career and by Jacksonville that season. Jones also had a 39-yard score in the 2023 Wild Card Round comeback victory.
Jones was expected to continue playing a sizeable role in Jacksonville, but various injuries — namely to his right knee and left hamstring — limited him to 9 appearances and 7 starts in 2023. He finished the season with 34 catches for 321 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Calvin Ridley was forced into more of a vertical role in Jones’ absence.
If the Jaguars had re-signed Ridley earlier this offseason, Jones likely would’ve been cut at that time. Instead, the team waited until after the NFL Draft (i.e., after it secured a replacement for Ridley in Brian Thomas Jr.) to release the veteran wideout.
The move saves $4.2 in cap space this season, per Over The Cap. Because Jones’ contract was structured with void years attached, the Jaguars will have dead cap hits of $6.6 million in 2024; $3.6 million in 2025; $2.4 million in 2026; and $1.2 million in 2027.
Jacksonville’s receiver room now consists of Thomas Jr., Christian Kirk, Gabe Davis, Devin Duvernay, Parker Washington and Elijah Cooks. The team also signed three undrafted free agent receivers after the draft and invited Jarvis Landry to try out at rookie minicamp.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login