The Jacksonville Jaguars are coming off of a very disappointing 2024 NFL season, but there are plenty of reasons to be hopeful for the Jaguars heading into 2025.
Jacksonville has an entirely new regime at the helm, and if we are being honest, its roster really isn’t bad at all. Things definitely hinge on whether or not Trevor Lawrence can finally live up to his lofty billing, but if he does, the Jaguars could be sneaky contenders in the AFC.
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One of Jacksonville’s biggest problems last year — outside of Lawrence’s struggles — was its defense, which ranked toward the bottom of the league. A big reason for that was a shaky secondary, and safety Darnell Savage was one of the primary culprits.
In his first season with the Jaguars after signing a three-year, $22 million contract with the club in free agency, Savage registered 51 tackles, an interception and six passes defended in 2024. He logged a brutal 41.5 coverage grade at Pro Football Focus, picking up right where he left off from his final days with the Green Bay Packers.
With the 2025 campaign just around the corner, Logan Ulrich of NFL Trade Rumors has put together a list of potential trade candidates before Week 1, and for the Jaguars, Savage made the list.
Here’s the problem, though: Savage really isn’t all that tradeable. Jacksonville probably won’t have much luck finding any team willing to take on the final two years of his deal, so if the Jags really want to part ways with the veteran, they will probably have to cut him.
Savage was originally selected by the Packers with the 21st overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft. He actually got off to a strong start over his first couple of years in Green Bay, but it didn’t take long for the University of Maryland product to fade.
By his third NFL season, Savage was beginning to struggle mightily in coverage, and things only got worse from that point moving forward.
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It did not come as much of a surprise when the Packers decided to let him walk via free agency last year, especially considering that they landed Xavier McKinney to replace him. What was surprising, however, was that the Jaguars committed such a sizeable contract to the 28-year-old.
Jacksonville selected a pair of safeties in the NFL Draft, bagging both Caleb Ransaw and Rayuan Lane, so perhaps Savage’s days in Duval really are coming to a close. We’ll see if the Jaguars opt to cut ties with him before the regular season begins.
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