There is no bigger free agency story on the defensive side of the ball than Devin Lloyd. The Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker transformed himself from a boom-or-bust first-round pick into a legitimate All-Pro in 2025. Now, he’s expected to hit the open market at 27 years old with his value at its peak. Lloyd doesn’t just plug a gap, he has the potential to transform a defense overnight.
Jacksonville declined his fifth-year option and Lloyd’s own admission that talks with the front office had stalled have all but confirmed his departure. With the linebacker franchise tag projected at $28.2 million, tagging him was never realistic for Jacksonville either.
His 2025 résumé speaks for itself: 81 tackles, 10 QB hits, 1.5 sacks, and a career-high five interceptions, including a 99-yard pick-six off Patrick Mahomes. He earned a Pro Bowl nod and second-team All-Pro honors.
Spotrac pegs his market value at roughly $20.1 million per year, putting him in the same tier as Fred Warner and Roquan Smith.
Three teams stand out as the best landing spots for the 27-year-old linebacker out of Utah.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals are the most compelling destination, full stop. Their defense finished near the bottom of the league in 2025, and their linebacker room was a liability. Second-year players Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter combined for 34 missed tackles, with missed tackle rates above 14 percent each.
Lloyd fixes that immediately and could take this Bengals team to the next level. He was the only linebacker in the league last season to post an 80.0-plus grade in run defense, coverage, and pass rushing simultaneously. His blitzing ability also helps offset some of the pass rushing void left by Trey Hendrickson’s departure.
Cincinnati enters free agency with roughly $52 million in cap space, the seventh-most in the league, giving them real flexibility to get this done. For a team with a Super Bowl window powered by Joe Burrow, adding Lloyd sends one clear message: the offense no longer has to do it alone.
Fit Score: A+
Dallas Cowboys
If Lloyd lands in the NFC, Dallas makes the most sense. The Cowboys recently waived Logan Wilson to free up cap space, and both Kenneth Murray and Jack Sanborn are also hitting free agency, leaving the middle of their defense dangerously thin.
Lloyd’s coverage ability fits the NFC perfectly. He finished 2025 with five interceptions and seven passes defensed. His instincts in zone coverage, the kind that produced the Mahomes pick-six, are exactly what Dallas has been missing.
The Cowboys have never been shy about making a splash. Lloyd at 27, coming off an All-Pro season, is precisely the kind of name they target. The investment will be substantial, but for a franchise chasing a championship, it is hard to argue against it.
Fit Score: A
New York Giants
New York is the dark horse worth watching. Bobby Okereke is expected to be released as a cap casualty, creating an immediate need. New defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson comes from the Mike Macdonald coaching tree, a system that prizes versatile, high-motor linebackers. Lloyd fits that profile to a tee.
Wilson watched Lloyd up close when his Titans teams faced Jacksonville. Front offices are regularly influenced by how a player performed against them directly, and Lloyd consistently dominated those matchups. Landing him in year one of a new regime would be a genuine statement.
The financial path is tighter than in Cincinnati or Dallas, but the Giants have shown willingness to restructure contracts to create space when the target is right.
Fit Score: B+
The Bottom Line
Devin Lloyd evolved from a high-volume tackler into an elite playmaker in 2025.
He established himself as one of the NFL’s premier linebackers and is going to get paid like one in the offseason.
Several contenders could use a do-it-all linebacker to help anchor the defense, which could drive up the price in an offseason short on impact outside linebackers.
