2023 NFL Free Agency: Jaguars, Ravens Only Teams To Not Sign a New Player in First Week

A year after the Jacksonville Jaguars added seven players during the first wave of free agency, general manager Trent Baalke and head coach Doug Pederson have taken quite the opposite approach. 

Through the first week of free agency, the Jaguars are one of two teams that have not signed an outside free agent. The Jaguars and Baltimore Ravens are alone in this regard, with the other 30 franchises paying top dollar to add reinforcements in what is considered a relatively weak free agency class.

According to Over The Cap, the Jaguars have signed six players this offseason, but all have been internal free agents: quarterback C.J. Beathard, running back JaMycal Hasty, cornerback Tre Herndon, cornerback Tevaughn Campbell, safety Andrew Wingard, and defensive lineman Adam Gotsis. 

In that span, the Jaguars' have spent a total of $20,392,500 -- the fifth-lowest amount of any NFL team this spring -- and just $8,400,000 in total guarantees, which also ranks in the bottom five of all teams. 

“Yeah, I think it has to be that moment. First of all, we’re up against the cap a lot more than we were the previous two years," Baalke said at his end-of-season press conference at the end of January when asked if the Jaguars were set to change their process from prioritizing free-agency to focus on the draft.

"We feel really good about the nucleus of young players that we have on the team. I believe we’re the fifth or sixth youngest team in the National Football League right now. We have a lot of young players on their first contracts, a lot of players overall on their first contracts. As you transition into more guys that are on their second deals, it becomes more and more difficult to use free agency as a strong vehicle to improve your team, so we’ve got to look to the draft. We’ve got to look to developing the guys that are currently here and obviously retain as many of these guys as we can.”

The Jaguars have obviously done just that this month. While the Jaguars should not be considered likely to go the entire offseason without adding new veteran faces, it is at least obvious the Jaguars' approach this offseason was dramatically different than in years past.

It is worth noting, however, that the Jaguars are the only team in this situation. The Ravens haven't added free agents likely in large part due to the lack of clarity surrounding the Lamar Jackson contract situation, which limits the number of moves the Ravens can make. 

As a result, only the Jaguars have truly decided to consciously stand pat and not make any moves this offseason. It won't be until the Jaguars field their 2023 roster that we can truly judge the process.