Jaguars release receiver Zay Jones, save roughly $4 million in cap space

The Jacksonville Jaguars have released veteran receiver Zay Jones, the team announced Tuesday.

Jones' release comes just days after the Jaguars drafted LSU receiver Brian Thomas Jr. in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Thomas is expected to take over as one of the team's starting receivers in addition to Gabe Davis and Christian Kirk.

The Jaguars signed Davis in free agency to a three-year, $39 million deal with $24 million in guaranteed money. The team also added All-Pro kick returner, receiver Devin Duvernay in free agency.

Trying to be myself': Jaguars WR Brian Thomas Jr. arrives in Jacksonville with confidence

Jones, 29, signed a three-year, $24 million deal with the team that included $14 million in guarantees. Jones was set to count $10,752,628 against the team's salary cap. By releasing him today, the Jaguars will save roughly $4,183,294, according to OverTheCap.

Before the move, the Jaguars boasted the third-most cap space in the league with $27,525,857 in effective cap space, according to OTC. Effective cap space accounts for the team's draft pool.

In two seasons with the Jaguars, Jones played in 25 games, catching 116 passes for 1,144 yards and seven touchdowns. Jones missed the majority of last season, playing through a PCL injury and femur damage, originally suffering the injury in Week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs.

He played just nine games in 2023, catching 34 passes for 321 yards and two touchdowns.

In 2022, Jones caught 82 passes for 823 yards and five touchdowns through 16 games played. He was a key contributor to the team's success during their AFC South title run that season.

The Jaguars will turn to their new arsenal of receivers this year. With Jones' departure, that leaves just Kirk as the lone returning starting wideout for Jacksonville.

Jaguars release kicker Joey Slye

In addition to letting Jones go, the Jaguars also released kicker Joey Slye, who was signed as an unrestricted free agent earlier this spring.

Jacksonville drafted Arkansas kicker Cam Little in the sixth round of this year's draft. Little is expected to win the job, set to compete with Riley Patterson, who was signed in January to a reserve/futures contract.

Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X,  formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82.

If you're a subscriber, thank you. If not, please consider becoming a subscriber to support local journalism in Northeast Florida.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars release Zay Jones after picking Brian Thomas Jr. in NFL Draft