Jaguars’ budding star is already having the last laugh in Jacksonville after being forced to bet on himself in 2025
Devin Lloyd is making the best out of a tricky situation.
Many things look different in Duval County, Florida, right now. One of those things is the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are now 4-1 after the Jags came from behind to beat the reigning AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs.
But that doesn’t happen without the game-changing play from Jaguars LB Devin Lloyd. A 99-yard interception returned for a touchdown, it was Lloyd’s fourth interception of the season and the hallmark on what has been a career resurgence for the former first-round pick.
A contract year that came a season early, Lloyd is showing 31 other teams why he is worthy of a hefty payday, even if the Jags once thought otherwise.
Jaguars declining Devin Lloyd’s fifth-year option works out in his favor
Lloyd was drafted 27th overall in the 2022 NFL draft out of Utah. A long, rangy stacked backer, the idea for Lloyd was that he could play passing windows and disrupt the anticipation and vision of QBs as he worked on his game against the run.
But that didn’t exactly happen through his first three years in the league, where Lloyd often struggled to routinely make plays. That caused the Jaguars to decline Lloyd’s fifth-year option for 2026, making him an unrestricted free agent come March.
A gut punch at first, it’s all paying off now.
The calendar just flipped to October, and Lloyd has four interceptions, including the best of his career on the eye-manipulating pick pocket of Patrick Mahomes. For reference, Lloyd had just three interceptions in his first three years combined, and now he has four in just five games.
So it’s safe to say that Lloyd will be getting paid. We saw a similar situation occur recently with Patrick Queen. The Baltimore Ravens declined this first-year option, and Queen would go on to sign the largest free agent deal in franchise history with the Pittsburgh Steelers before leading the team in tackles in 2024.
Sometimes you have to quiet the noise and just play ball. Remove yourself from the distractions and go all in on your craft. It appears that Lloyd has done that, and it will start to pay dividends.
Jacksonville Jaguars News
Jaguars’ victory over 49ers in Week 4 came at an unfortunate cost for two Jacksonville defenders
Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Dennis Gardeck and defensive tackle Maason Smith received fines for violations during Week 4 victory over San Francisco 49ers.
