Julius Thomas locked up for 2017: Here’s why it’s the right move

On Friday, the Jacksonville Jaguars failed to cut tight end Julius Thomas, ensuring that $3 million of his 2017 salary is guaranteed.

According to ESPN’s Michael DiRocco, Thomas will be due at least $3 million of his $8.6 million salary for this season.

With Tom Coughlin being named the VP of Football Operations for the Jaguars last month, it’s evident the Jaguars are locked in on keeping talent on the roster. This move may come as a shock to some in large part due to Thomas under performing in his two seasons with the team.

The Jaguars passing offense, which threw nearly 40 times per game, took a major step back in 2016. Thomas has been banged up in his two years with the Jags, having missed 11 games in the last two years. But when healthy his play hasn’t been mindboggling, to say the least.

Though his touchdowns numbers seem to be deserving of recognition (eight in the last two seasons), he’s been the recipient of multiple touchdown passes with the game well out of reach in the second half. Thomas must be a key contributor in meaningful moments of the game in 2017 for this offense to be in full gear.

As of now, the move to keep Thomas around seems a bit dicey. But we can make sense of it. The Jags have little depth behind Thomas at tight end and had plenty of cap space to work with. According to Spotrac, Jacksonville has some $64 million in cap space to work with come free agency.

Next: Myles Garrett message to the Cowboys

Had he been released, the team would have saved approximately $5 million in cap space, according to Big Cat Country. A recent change of scenery in Jacksonville, including an in-house hire with Nathaniel Hackett being promoted from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator, could unveil the Thomas we saw in Denver.

It was a tough choice, but come next fall, I think the Jags will be content with their decision to keep Thomas around for at least one more year.