Regardless of the savings, it makes sense that Jacksonville kept Armstead.
The Jaguars are in a winning position after going 13-4 and clinching the AFC South. Although they used three of their 2026 draft picks to bolster the defensive line and traded for Ruke Orhorhoro in April, Armstead is their safest immediate bet to create interior pressure at linebacker.
His contract is heavy heading into his final year of the contract, but Armstead finished second on Jacksonville in sacks in 2025. His 5.5 sacks marked the third-best total in a single season of his career and his best total since 2021. He achieved that number despite suffering a hand injury in late November that caused him to miss a game in his return.
After averaging 73.8% of the team’s snaps from Weeks 9-12, Armstead missed Week 13 and then averaged 38.4% of the snaps over the final five games of the regular season. His last sack came in Week 11, as the injury hampered his production.
“I was playing with one hand for six games,” Armstead said. “Couldn’t play as many snaps because it was hard to play the run with only one hand so I was limited in (pass-rush) situations. As I got more comfortable (with the cast), I was able to be pretty effective, but couldn’t catch (his blocker) and couldn’t make certain moves.”
After finding his groove early for a Jags defense that was top 10 in points allowed for the first time in seven years, there’s reason to believe a fully healthy Armstead can do it one more time in his age-33 season.
Beyond that, the veteran knows the future is flexible.
“My focus is to be my best self and the best player I can be,” Armstead said. “That’s all I can control.”