Snagged in the second round (52nd overall) of the 2005 NFL Draft after an All-Pac-10 run at Washington, Khalif Barnes landed in North Florida to protect Fred Taylor’s blindside. Blessed with 6-foot-6 length and smooth movement traits, he cracked the starting lineup midway through his rookie year, locked down the left tackle spot for 12 starts, and earned PFWA All-Rookie Team recognition for a playoff-bound 12–4 squad.

Barnes made his living as an aggressive, physically imposing edge blocker who paved the way for Jack Del Rio’s run-heavy attack. Working alongside interior stalwarts like Vince Manuwai and Brad Meester, his mobility on pulls and zone stretches created massive operational lanes for Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew during the tandem's peak production years.

Consistency in the starting lineup was his hallmark throughout his initial contract. Barnes stepped onto the field for 60 of a possible 64 regular-season contests in a Jaguars uniform—starting 57 of them—and posted steady annual Approximate Value marks of 7, 9, 10, and 8. That reliability peaked in 2007, when he anchored the left edge for an 11–5 roster that stormed into the Divisional Round.

Upon reaching unrestricted free agency following the 2008 campaign, Barnes inked a deal with Oakland. He spent seven seasons with the Raiders as a versatile swing tackle and guard before finishing his 12-year NFL career with brief stints in New Orleans and Arizona.

Purdue player Uche Nwaneri was selected by the Jaguars in the 5^th Round in 2007.  Nwaneri entered professional football as a raw interior prospect with raw functional strength. He secured a roster spot as a rookie, earning rotational reps before making his first career start late in his debut campaign to solidify a physical offensive line during a playoff-bound season.

Nwaneri unlocked his starting baseline in 2008 at left guard before switching to right guard in 2009—a move that permanently established his place in the starting five. Renowned for his squatty leverage and persistent effort in the run game, he served as a primary road-grader alongside center Brad Meester, paving massive interior rushing lanes during Maurice Jones-Drew's peak power-running years.

He became a constant fixture upfront for North Florida over the next four years. From 2010 through 2013, Nwaneri missed only a single contest out of 64 possible regular-season games, routinely taking full-game snap counts despite frequent lineup changes around him.

After his release in March 2014, Nwaneri signed a summer contract with the Dallas Cowboys but chose to hang up his cleats when he did not make the final 53-man cut, ending his active playing career in a Jacksonville uniform.  He overall started 92 of his 104 games.

Entering the league in 2006 as an unheralded, undrafted free agent out of Maine, Montell Owens carved out a decade-long career by transforming third-phase kick coverage into pure artistry. With a relentless motor and an innate sense of the ball carrier, he quickly became the premier gunner on kick and punt coverage units, earning a roster spot through sheer hustle.

Owens' open-field tackling efficiency gained cult-hero status among the fan base, sparking a dedicated faction of supporters who affectionately rebranded him as "Mowens"—complete with custom jerseys bearing an added letter "M" on the back. He validated that admiration during the 2009 campaign by racking up 30 special teams tackles, setting an organization single-season standard. By the time his run in North Florida concluded, he sat comfortably at the top of the leaderboard with 118 total tackles on special teams units.

National recognition followed his coverage dominance. Owens earned consecutive Pro Bowl invitations as the AFC's designated special teams ace in 2010 and 2011, along with an AP Second-Team All-Pro selection in 2011.

Beyond his kicking-game accolades, Owens served as a versatile Swiss Army knife across the roster. Whenever injuries depleted the offense, he filled in as an energetic fullback, third-down tailback, and wildcat quarterback, starting four games late in 2012 and leading the squad with 209 rushing yards down the stretch. He even logged emergency reps on defense at safety when depth tested low.

After seven years with the franchise, Owens concluded his playing career with single-year stops in Detroit and Chicago before transitioning into NFL scouting. 

Drafted in the third round (67th overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft following an All-SEC tenure at South Carolina, A.J. Cann brought power and durability to Jacksonville's interior line. The 315-pound guard quickly cracked the starting lineup during his rookie campaign, stepping in at right guard by Week 3 and anchoring the spot with steady, low-leverage run blocking.

Cann became an indispensable frontline worker over the next half-decade. Playing alongside center Brandon Linder and tackle Brandon Linder/Jawaan Taylor on the right perimeter, his broad frame and heavy-handed punch proved vital during Jacksonville's 2017 division-winning run, where he started 15 regular-season games and three playoff contests, propelling the franchise to the AFC Championship Game.

His dependability upfront was rewarded in March 2019 when Jacksonville signed him to a three-year contract extension. Cann rewarded that faith by logging consecutive 15-plus-game starting campaigns in 2019 and 2020, serving as a rare veteran constant during a period of heavy roster turnover and scheme adjustments.

An early-season MCL injury limited Cann to just four appearances in 2021, bringing his long-tenured Jacksonville run to an abrupt end. He departed in free agency to sign a two-year deal with the Houston Texans in 2022, starting 16 games in his lone season with the division rival before hanging up his cleats.  Cann started 94 of his 95 games in Duval.

After spending his first four professional seasons with the Houston Oilers and Tennessee Titans, Gary Walker arrived in Jacksonville before the 1999 campaign as a marquee interior defensive line addition. Bringing a squat, explosive 6-foot-2, 324-pound frame, the former Auburn standout stepped straight into a starting role, offering a rare blend of nose-tackle leverage and penetrating quickness.

Walker made an instant mark during his debut season, anchoring an interior front that fueled a franchise-best 14–2 regular season and a trip to the AFC Championship Game. He set a career high with 10.0 sacks from defensive tackle in 1999, routinely collapsing pockets from the inside and establishing himself as one of the AFC’s premier interior pass rushers.

Despite battling through offensive double-teams over the next two campaigns, Walker remained a reliable focal point on the defensive line. Starting 46 of his 47 games, he racked up 28 tackles for loss and forced three fumbles, consistently disrupting run plays before they could develop. His steady disruption culminated in 2001, when he recorded 5.0 sacks and 54 total tackles to earn his first Pro Bowl selection.

Cap space pressures forced his exit following the 2001 season, leading him to sign with the expansion Houston Texans, where he earned a second consecutive Pro Bowl selection in 2002 before completing his 11-year NFL career.  In his pro career in North Florida, Walker amassed 22.5 sacks, 140 total tackles, and 28 tackles for loss.

Selected first overall in the 1999 CFL Draft out of Washington State, Vancouver-born defensive lineman Rob Meier bypassed a career in Canada to pursue his NFL ambitions. The Jacksonville Jaguars claimed him in the seventh round (241st overall) of the 2000 NFL Draft, adding a 6-foot-5, 305-pound versatile trench worker to their defensive front.

Meier carved out a long career by mastering inside-outside flexibility up front. Possessing the size to clog interior run lanes at defensive tackle alongside the footwork to set a physical edge at defensive end, he became an essential rotational anchor across multiple coaching regimes in North Florida.

While he started 49 contests during his tenure, Meier was a constant force in game-day rotations, appearing in 138 regular-season matchups over nine active playing seasons. His most disruptive year came in 2007, when he started nine games, recorded 4.5 sacks, and anchored an 11–5 defense that advanced to the AFC Divisional Round.

Though a foot injury during 2009 training camp sidelined him for what would have been a tenth season, Meier spent his entire active NFL career exclusively in a Jaguars uniform before his release in early 2010. Statistically, Meier had 21.5 sacks and 232 combined tackles.

James Stewart entered the league as a foundational piece for the expansion franchise when he was taken 19th overall from Tennessee. A physical, between-the-tackles runner listed at 6-foot-1 and 224 pounds, he carried a heavy operational load during the club's inaugural campaign, leading the backfield with 525 rushing yards and scoring the first rushing touchdown in team history.

Stewart played an integral role in Jacksonville’s rapid ascent to contention, operating as a reliable short-yardage finisher and dual-threat option. During the 1996 Cinderella postseason run to the AFC Championship Game, his inside running provided crucial balance alongside Mark Brunell's scramble drills. In an October 1997 matchup against Philadelphia, Stewart etched his name into team record books by rushing for five touchdowns in a single game—a franchise record that still stands.

Despite sharing backfield touches after Fred Taylor arrived in 1998, Stewart remained a critical red-zone weapon. His final year with the organization in 1999 yielded his most efficient production, as he amassed 931 rushing yards and crossed the goal line 13 times on the ground for a 14–2 squad that reached another AFC title game.

Entering free agency after five seasons, Stewart signed with the Detroit Lions in 2000 and produced two 1,000-yard campaigns before injuries forced his retirement after the 2002 season.  In Jacksonville, Stewart had 65 carries for 2,951 rushing yards, 33 rushing touchdowns, 101 receptions for 828 receiving yards, and five receiving touchdowns.

Selected in the fourth round (108th overall) out of East Carolina in the 2002 NFL Draft, David Garrard entered the professional ranks initially slated to serve as the long-term backup to veteran Mark Brunell. That depth chart dynamic shifted a year later when Jacksonville drafted Byron Leftwich in the first round. Over the next several seasons, Garrard stepped up whenever called upon—including a key stretch in 2005 where he went 5–1 as a starter to push the Jaguars into the playoffs—before permanently claiming the starting job ahead of the 2007 campaign.

Garrard’s first year as the undisputed full-time starter in 2007 produced a career-defining performance. Combining calm decision-making with powerful mobility, he threw 18 touchdown passes against just three interceptions all season, leading Jacksonville to an 11–5 record and a 102.2 passer rating. In the wild-card round against Pittsburgh, Garrard authored one of the most iconic moments in franchise history, converting a daring fourth-and-2 scramble late in the fourth quarter to set up the game-winning field goal. Two years later, Garrard achieved national recognition with a Pro Bowl selection in 2009 after throwing for 3,597 yards and rushing for three additional scores.

After starting 14 games in 2010, Garrard was surprisingly released just days before the 2011 regular-season opener. He subsequently underwent surgery to repair a herniated disc. Though he later signed contracts with the Miami Dolphins in 2012 and the New York Jets in 2013, knee complications prevented him from ever taking another snap in a regular-season game. As a result, every official down of his nine-year NFL playing career was contested exclusively in Jacksonville teal and black.

Over his career, Garrard compiled 16,003 passing yards, 89 passing touchdowns, and 54 interceptions, alongside 380 rushing attempts for 1,746 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns.

Drafted in the third round (69th overall) out of Maryland in 2016, Yannick Ngakoue required zero adjustment period to impact the NFL passing game. Possessing a lightning-quick launch off the line of scrimmage and a masterclass dip-and-bend edge move, the rookie immediately locked down a starting role, racking up eight sacks and four forced fumbles to secure PFWA All-Rookie team honors.

Ngakoue elevated his game during his second professional campaign, serving as a primary pass-rush engine for Jacksonville’s AFC Championship run in 2017. Alongside Calais Campbell, one of the league's premier edge tandems, Ngakoue dropped opposing passers 12 times and led the NFL with six forced fumbles. His instincts for targeting the football yielded game-changing turnover plays, including a 67-yard strip-sack return touchdown against Tennessee that paved the way to his lone Pro Bowl honor.

Consistency remained his trademark throughout his initial four-year contract. Ngakoue compiled at least eight sacks in every single campaign with the franchise, blending raw speed around the corner with an uncanny knack for punching the ball free at the moment of contact.

Despite his high-caliber production, contract negotiations between Ngakoue and the front office became contentious before the 2020 season. Franchise-tagged without a long-term agreement, the pass rusher made his intentions clear on social media, publicly requesting a trade to continue his career elsewhere. The standoff resolved in August 2020 via a trade to Minnesota, initiating a multi-stop journey across several organizations as a specialized pass-rush weapon.

As a Jaguar, Ngakoue accumulated 37.5 sacks, 122 total tackles, 14 forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and two interceptions.

Selected 28th overall in the first round out of UCLA in the 2006 NFL Draft, John Mackey Award winner Marcedes Lewis arrived in North Florida charged with upgrading Jacksonville's passing game. While critics often pointed to his moderate box-score receiving totals over a 12-season stay, Lewis proved to be far more than just a pass-catcher, using his massive frame and exceptional inline blocking ability to function effectively as a sixth offensive lineman.

Lewis achieved the pinnacle of his receiving performance during a significant 2010 season, recording career highs across various metrics with 58 receptions for 700 yards and a franchise-record 10 receiving touchdowns. This outstanding season earned him his first Pro Bowl selection and Second-Team AP All-Pro honors. Beyond his exceptional single-season performance, Lewis represented the benchmark for tight end longevity and resilience in Jacksonville, serving as an essential component in sealing edge blocks in the running game for twelve years and bridging several offensive eras through his consistent leadership.

After departing Jacksonville in 2018, Lewis extended his remarkably durable NFL journey into his late 30s and 40s with Green Bay, Chicago, and Denver, eventually becoming the all-time NFL record holder for games played by a tight end. However, he forged his legacy over more than a decade of hard-nosed work in North Florida.

Lewis had 4,502 receiving yards and 33 receiving touchdowns for the Jaguars.

Selected in the fifth round (137th overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft out of Louisiana Tech, Josh Scobee stepped into Jacksonville and immediately became one of the Jaguars’ strongest and most reliable right legs in professional football. Armed with massive leg power and an ice-cold demeanor in clutch situations, the Texas native took over placekicking duties as a rookie and anchored the Jaguars' special teams unit for over a decade.

Scobee built a reputation throughout his 11-year run in North Florida as a long-distance specialist and division-rival assassin, particularly against the Indianapolis Colts. In 2007, he led the NFL in field goal accuracy during a high-efficiency season, connecting on 12 of 13 attempts (92.3%). His signature single-game performance arrived on Monday Night Football in October 2011 against the Baltimore Ravens, when he tied an NFL record by drilling three field goals of 50 or more yards (54, 54, and 51 yards) to single-handedly account for all of Jacksonville's points in a 12–7 victory.

Beyond his long-range consistency, Scobee produced some of the most memorable walk-off moments in franchise history. His defining triumph occurred on October 3, 2010, when he stepped up in the final seconds against Peyton Manning’s Colts and blasted a franchise-record 59-yard game-winning field goal as time expired.

Durable and steady across 168 regular-season games in teal, black, and gold, Scobee eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau in 2014 before concluding his NFL career with brief stints in Pittsburgh and New Orleans. As a Jaguar, Scobee made 35 field goals on 291 attempts (80.8%), 317 extra points on 322 attempts (98.4%), and 1,022 total points.

When the Jacksonville Jaguars stunned draft analysts by selecting Tyson Alualu tenth overall in the 2010 NFL Draft, they were betting on an unheralded, relentless motor out of the University of California. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, the 304-pound defensive lineman carried his Island heritage and fierce physical toughness straight into North Florida, proving his pre-draft skeptics wrong by starting all 16 games as a rookie and anchoring the interior of Jacksonville's front four.

Alualu’s hallmark in Jacksonville was his incredible ironman durability and positional versatility along the line of scrimmage. Over his seven active seasons in teal, black, and gold, he lined up at defensive tackle, 3-technique, and defensive end depending on the defensive scheme, never missing a single regular-season game due to injury across 112 consecutive appearances. His stout leverage and heavy hands allowed him to absorb double-teams, collapse interior pockets, and set a hard edge against the run.

Beyond his dirty-work run containment, Alualu provided steady interior pass rush, posting back-to-back 3.5-sack campaigns in his first two years and a career-high 4.0 sacks in 2012. Though he eventually transitioned into a heavy rotational role during his final seasons in Jacksonville under Gus Bradley, his leadership inside the locker room and blue-collar work ethic remained a constant baseline for the franchise.

Following the 2016 season, Alualu signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a free agent, enjoying a career revival as a nose tackle before later joining the Detroit Lions to cap off a remarkable 14-year NFL journey.  With the Jaguars, Alualu had 17.5 sacks, 30 tackles for loss, three fumble recoveries, and two forced fumbles.

The Jacksonville Jaguars signed former first-round pick Chris Naeole away from the New Orleans Saints in 2002, securing an immediate interior enforcer built to dominate the line of scrimmage. The Kaʻaʻawa, Hawaii native brought a massive 6-foot-3, 317-pound frame and mean-spirited run-blocking technique to North Florida, stepping straight into the starting right guard spot and serving as the foundational rock for Jack Del Rio's physical, blue-collar offensive front.

Naeole’s defining trait in teal was his relentless durability and mauling power in the ground game. Lining up beside tackle Maurice Williams and center Brad Meester, Naeole carved out massive rushing lanes for Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew during the peak era of Jacksonville's smashmouth rushing attack. Over his six seasons with the franchise, Naeole started every single one of the 87 games he suited up for, demonstrating ironman reliability right guard.

His impressive streak of consistency ended midway through the 2007 season when he suffered a severe quad injury against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 8, landing him on injured reserve. Before the tear, Naeole had missed only one game in his entire 11-year professional career.  After his release following the 2007 campaign, Naeole briefly re-signed with Jacksonville in 2008 before hanging up his cleats, ending a stellar career without ever suiting up for another team.

Selected second overall out of Illinois in the 1996 NFL Draft, consensus All-American linebacker Kevin Hardy arrived in North Florida as a cornerstone blueprint for an ambitious second-year franchise. Stepping straight into the starting lineup, Hardy possessed an elite blend of sideline-to-sideline range and pass-rushing instincts, earning PFWA All-Rookie Team honors while helping propel the young Jaguars to a shock appearance in the AFC Championship Game during his debut campaign.

Hardy’s multi-faceted playmaking served as an engine for Jacksonville’s linebacking corps through the late 1990s. After putting up a 112-tackle season in 1998, he put together a career-defining performance during Jacksonville's dominant 14–2 run in 1999. That year, Hardy recorded 96 combined tackles, a career-high 10.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and an interception, accumulating a team-high 17 Approximate Value. His remarkable campaign earned him Pro Bowl honors and a First-Team AP All-Pro selection. Following six seasons anchoring the defense in teal, Hardy went on to play for Dallas and Cincinnati before concluding his nine-year NFL career.

Overall, Hardy had 28.5 sacks, 504 combined tackles (402 solo, 102 assists), 30 tackles for loss and five interceptions for the Jags.

Selected in the second round (39th overall) out of Georgia Tech in the 2004 NFL Draft, Daryl Smith quickly proved that the transition from college stardom to the professional ranks required zero warm-up time. Earning a starting spot right out of training camp as a rookie, Smith displayed the sharp diagnostic skills and sure tackling that would make him an indispensable fixture in North Florida for nearly a decade.

While often operating in the shadow of flashier league names, Smith served as the steady, highly versatile anchor for Jacksonville's defensive unit. Capable of seamless shifts between outside linebacker and middle linebacker, he adapted to multiple defensive schemes without missing a beat. He produced two campaigns with a career-high 107 combined tackles (2009 and 2011), regularly disrupting backfields on blitzes and matching up effectively against tight ends in coverage. Following nine productive years in teal, Smith spent three years with Baltimore and a final season in Tampa Bay, though his signature years were defined by his relentless work in Jacksonville.

Overall, as a Jaguar, Smith had 21.5 sacks, 682 combined tackles (540 solo, 142 assists), 57 tackles for loss and nine forced fumbles.

When the Jacksonville Jaguars signed former ninth overall pick Kyle Brady as a marquee free agent in 1999, they weren't seeking a flashy wide receiver disguised as a tight end—they were acquiring an elite six-foot-six, 280-pound blocking force out of Penn State. After spending his first four NFL seasons with the New York Jets, Brady brought his powerhouse edge-setting ability to North Florida, where he immediately transformed into a devastating sixth offensive lineman and an indispensable pillar of Tom Coughlin’s ground attack.

While Brady’s dirty work in the run game cleared massive lanes for Fred Taylor, he quickly demonstrated that he could punish defenses through the air when left single-covered in the seam. His offensive breakout arrived in 2000, when he set career highs across the board by hauling in 64 receptions for 729 yards and three touchdowns. That career-best passing production complemented his elite inline blocking, solidifying him as one of the most complete traditional tight ends in the NFL.

After racking up 2,500 receiving yards in Jacksonville, Brady finished his 13-year professional career with a single season in New England in 2007, helping the Patriots reach Super Bowl XLII before hanging up his cleats.  He had 13 touchdowns for the club.

Donovin Darius was chosen in the first round (25th overall) of the 1998 NFL Draft, establishing a reputation as a fierce, impactful enforcer. Coming from Syracuse, where he was named Big East Defensive Player of the Year, the Camden, New Jersey native quickly introduced physical dominance to Jacksonville's secondary. From his first day on the field, Darius earned PFWA All-Rookie Team recognition, leading all Jacksonville defensive backs with 108 tackles as a rookie.

That debut performance established a template for near-decade-long dominance at safety. Operating primarily as an in-the-box strong safety, Darius functioned like an extra linebacker, relentlessly coming downhill to blow up interior running plays while delivering punishing hits to receivers braving the middle of the field. His downhill aggression set the physical tone for Tom Coughlin's playoff-bound rosters in the late 1990s and remained a constant as Jack Del Rio built his defensive unit in the mid-2000s.

While accolades often eluded him on the national voting stage, Darius' value inside the locker room and on the field was unquestioned. His defining hallmark was baseline consistency: if Darius was healthy enough to put on his helmet, he started. In fact, across nine active seasons in Jacksonville, Darius started all 115 regular-season games he appeared in for the franchise, never spending a single contest coming off the bench.

Beyond his crunching tackles, Darius displayed sharp ball instincts, racking up 14 interceptions and six fumble recoveries in a Jaguars uniform. He was an integral piece of Jacksonville’s 1999 squad, which finished an NFL-best 14–2 and reached the AFC Championship Game. Even through coaching shifts, scheme changes, and injuries later in his career, he remained the emotional heartbeat of the secondary.

After nine seasons, Darius' run in Jacksonville ended in June 2007 when the team released him to usher in a younger defensive core. He closed out his NFL career with a brief three-game stint with the Miami Dolphins before retiring.  As a Jaguar, Darius compiled 618 combined tackles (479 solo), 14 interceptions for 189 return yards, 46 passes defended, seven forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries, and 2.0 sacks.

Before securing the biggest contract in Jacksonville franchise history at the time, offensive tackle Leon Searcy established his credentials as a three-time national champion at the University of Miami and a starter for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XXX. Signing with the Jaguars in 1996 as the prized target of their free-agent class, the former first-round pick brought immediate toughness and championship swagger to the right edge of North Florida's offensive line.

Searcy served as an unyielding pass protector and run-blocker, starting all 63 of his regular-season appearances in teal and black. His heavy hands and mobility kept quarterback Mark Brunell upright while carving wide lanes for Fred Taylor, fueling Jacksonville's rise to a premier AFC contender. Searcy's tenure peaked during the legendary 1999 season, anchoring a front five that allowed just 23 sacks all year on the way to a league-best 14–2 record. That stellar campaign earned him Second-Team AP All-Pro honors and a Pro Bowl selection. However, misfortune struck when a severe leg injury during 2000 training camp sidelined him for the entire season. He subsequently signed with the Baltimore Ravens in 2001, but a preseason injury kept him from ever appearing in another regular-season game.

He started all 71 of his games (63 regular season and eight postseason) in Jacksonville.

Selected in the fifth round (144th overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft, Telvin Smith didn't have to venture far from home to launch his professional career. Fresh off anchoring Florida State's defense during their 2013 BCS National Championship campaign, the Valdosta, Georgia native brought rare, sideline-to-sideline speed and instantly injected energy into Jacksonville's linebacker corps.

Despite being undersized for an NFL weakside linebacker, Smith erased any concerns about his frame through relentless diagnostics and elite closing speed. He became an automatic tackling machine, racking up over 100 combined tackles in each of his five seasons in Jacksonville. His speed enabled him to drop effortlessly into coverage, shoot gaps on blitzes, and chase down ball carriers across the turf.

Smith's high point came in the memorable 2017 season. Serving as a primary engine for the aggressive "Sacksonville" defense, he recorded 102 tackles, three interceptions, and returned a fumble 52 yards for a touchdown. His dynamic play earned him a Pro Bowl invitation and Second-Team AP All-Pro honors while helping guide the Jaguars to an AFC South title. In the postseason, he raised his game even further, returning a Ben Roethlisberger fumble 50 yards for a score in Jacksonville's thrilling 45–42 divisional round victory over Pittsburgh.

Smith backed that up with a career-high 134 combined tackles in 2018. However, his football journey took a sudden, tragic turn in May 2019 when he unexpectedly announced he was stepping away from the game at age 28 to focus on his personal life. Subsequent legal troubles and off-field incidents permanently closed the door on a comeback.

Over his five-year career, Smith had 587 combined tackles (446 solo), 52 tackles for loss, 9.0 interceptions for 130 return yards and two touchdowns, 26 passes defended, six fumble recoveries (one touchdown return), 7.5 sacks, and five forced fumbles.

Selected third overall in the 2014 NFL Draft out of UCF, Blake Bortles landed in Jacksonville carrying the weight of a franchise desperate for a savior. The 2013 AAC Offensive Player of the Year brought ideal physical tools—a prototype 6-foot-5 frame, a strong arm, and deceptive mobility—and was thrust into the fire earlier than planned during his rookie year. That introductory campaign brought steep growing pains, as he absorbed 55 sacks and threw 17 interceptions while throwing just 11 touchdowns.

His sophomore season in 2015 produced a statistical explosion that teased superstar potential. Operating a high-octane passing game, Bortles set Jaguars single-season franchise records with 4,428 passing yards and 35 touchdown passes. Yet that production came with heavy volatility; he also led the NFL in interceptions (18) and sacks taken (51). He backed up that wild ride by throwing for 3,905 yards in 2016 and 3,687 yards in 2017, demonstrating durability while quietly proving to be an effective weapon on the ground as a scrambler.

The absolute high-water mark of the Bortles era arrived during the magical 2017 campaign. While a dominant, sack-happy defense carried the primary identity of the "Sacksonville" squad, Bortles executed his role as a game manager to near perfection. He steered Jacksonville to a 10–6 record, an AFC South division title, and a memorable postseason run. In the playoffs, he played mistake-free football, defeating Buffalo and outdueling Pittsburgh on the road to push Jacksonville within one quarter of the Super Bowl in the AFC Championship Game against New England.

That playoff run earned Bortles a contract extension, but the momentum evaporated instantly in 2018. Mechanical struggles, turnover issues, and a wave of offensive injuries caused the team to slide, leading to his benching in favor of Cody Kessler. The breakup was finalized in March 2019 when the Jaguars released him shortly after signing Nick Foles. Bortles backed up Jared Goff with the Rams and had brief roster stints in Denver, Green Bay, and New Orleans before officially announcing his retirement in 2022.

In his five seasons in Duval, Bortles threw for 17,649 passing yards, 103 passing touchdowns, 75 interceptions, and 1,766 rushing yards with eight rushing touchdowns.