Feb. 19, 2026, 9:00 p.m. ET
Mason Cameron of Pro Football Focus selected the “best landing spot” for free agent linebacker Devin Lloyd — and it wasn’t with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Instead, Cameron selected the Cincinnati Bengals.
“Al Golden’s defense is in dire need of an overhaul, particularly at linebacker,” wrote Cameron. “Headlined primarily by a pair of rookies, Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter, the Bengals’ linebacking corps ranked last in the NFL in PFF overall grade (34.4). A defensive leader and cornerstone will be Cincinnati’s biggest target this offseason.”
Lloyd is coming off a career year, which included him making his first Pro Bowl, along with being named a second-team All-Pro.
As Cameron noted, Lloyd had the second-highest overall grade among linebackers last season. He was also the only linebacker with a run defense grade, coverage grade, and pass rushing grade over 80.0.
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Lloyd did a bit of everything for this Jaguars‘ defense.
I’m sure in a perfect world, the Jaguars would love to have Lloyd back. However, as of now, Jacksonville’s salary cap situation is a bit tight, and Lloyd is going to be in store for a good-sized payday, with likely a number of teams interested.
PFF is projecting that Lloyd lands a three-year deal worth $48 million. Spotrac is projecting that Lloyd earns more than $20 million per year on his next contract.