Jaguars GM Trent Baalke: ‘Next Year Is Going To Be a Big Offseason’

General manager Trent Baalke knows the Jaguars have an abundance of questions coming up in 2024 and beyond.

Every offseason is a big offseason in the world of today's NFL, but 2024 already has a special feel to it for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Yes, 2024 is still nearly a year away and the Jaguars have an entire 2023 season to look forward to first, but that doesn't change the Jaguars' level of preparation ahead of a looming future that will include decisions on Trevor Lawrence, Calvin Ridley, Josh Allen, Cam Robinson, and several other big names.

"We're definitely planning out two to three years down the road for these contracts that you see coming. You know, next year is going to be a big offseason. We got a significant number of guys that are going to be up that we're going to have to address, and we're going to be saying that every year," Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke told Jaguars reporter John Oehser. 

The Jaguars played things relatively safe in free agency this offseason after being among the league's highest spenders in 2021 and 2022. The Jaguars made it public that they were no longer looking to free agency to sign big deals, with their interest now being in drafting and developing their own players.

Among those players who will be eligible for a new deal in 2024 is Lawrence, running back Travis Etienne, cornerback Tyson Campbell, safety Andre Cisco, and offensive tackle Walker Little. The Jaguars will also have to make long-term decisions on Allen, Ridley, Robinson, and a host of other veteran players. 

"Everybody wants you to go out and continue to sign, sign, sign. But the reality is you can't. The reality is at some point the free agent market has got to dry up because you don't have the cap space to work that market as heavily as you used to," Baalke said. 

"And we went through two years of heavy usage of free agency and then we got to the point where we didn't have the cap space to do that. And we knew that was coming, we tried to pre-warn everybody that was coming. Some people heard that. Some do, some don't, and that's just the way it is. And I get it. You want to be as competitive as you can be, but there is a cap for a reason and everybody plays by the same rules."