Michael DiRoccoMay 7, 2025, 10:17 AM ET
- Michael DiRocco is an NFL Nation reporter at ESPN and covers the Jacksonville Jaguars. He previously covered the University of Florida for over a decade for ESPN and the Florida Times-Union. DiRocco graduated from Jacksonville University and is a multiple APSE award winner.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars released Gabe Davis on Wednesday morning, nearly 14 months after signing the wide receiver to a three-year contract worth $39 million.
Davis' $1.5 million salary and $10 million option bonus were fully guaranteed for 2025, and the move means the Jaguars will absorb a $20.3 million dead cap hit.
The Jaguars guaranteed Davis $24 million when they signed him in March 2024, but he didn't make much of an impact in 2024 on a Jacksonville team that also lost receiver Christian Kirk and tight end Evan Engram to season-ending injuries.
Davis caught 20 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns in 10 games in 2024 before suffering a torn meniscus in his left knee and missing the remainder of the season. His average of 12.7 yards per catch was the lowest of his five-year career. Davis also dropped two potential touchdown passes in the Jaguars' 35-16 loss to the Chicago Bears in London on Oct. 13.
The Jaguars traded Kirk to Houston, released Engram and signed receiver Dyami Brown in free agency -- leaving Davis' potential role in 2025 unclear. The Jaguars drafted receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter last month -- trading up from No. 5 to No. 2 to take the Heisman Trophy winner -- to pair with second-year star receiver Brian Thomas Jr., who set franchise rookie records in receptions (87) and receiving yards (1,282) in 2024.
Those moves apparently made Davis expendable, even with the large dead cap hit.
Davis had 163 catches for 2,730 yards and 27 touchdowns and averaged 16.7 yards per catch in four seasons with the Buffalo Bills before signing with the Jaguars.
