Jaguars release wide receiver Gabe Davis 1 year after signing him to $39 million contract

The Jacksonville Jaguars are moving on from receiver Gabe Davis after one season. The team released Davis on Wednesday, just one year into the three-year, $39 million deal he signed with the club last offseason.

Davis, 26, joined the team after spending his first four seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He averaged 683 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns per season with the Bills, occasionally flashing signs of brilliance.

While NFL fans - and especially fantasy managers - were aware of Davis, he really put himself on the map during the Bills' divisional round loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022. Davis hauled in eight catches for 201 yards and four touchdowns in the loss.

That performance didn't lead to stardom. After two more solid years in Buffalo, Davis hit the free-agent market and joined the Jaguars on a three-year deal.

Davis was supposed to be a big-play threat for Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, but failed to put up big numbers before a knee injury ended Davis' season. In 10 games, Davis caught 20 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns.

The Jaguars initially signed Davis to shore up a foundering receiver position, but the team's depth chart look a major step forward, thanks to Brian Thomas Jr.'s excellent rookie season. Thomas hauled in 87 passes for 1,287 yards and 10 scores in his first year in the NFL, making the Pro Bowl. The team added to its receiver room in the 2025 NFL Draft, trading up for two-way star Travis Hunter in the first round. With both Thomas and Hunter in tow, the Jaguars determined they no longer needed Davis.

Assuming Davis is fully recovered from his knee injury, he should draw plenty of interest on the free-agent market. While he hasn't developed into a consistent target, his big-play ability should make him a desirable deep threat for a team looking to bolster its wide receiver depth.