Dwight Lowery, Jaguars Not Close On New Deal

The Jacksonville Jaguars have already brought back cornerback Rashean Mathis on a one-year deal, but the team still needs to try to work out a deal with safety Dwight Lowery. The Jaguars acquired Lowery in a trade with the New York Jets prior to the start of the 2011 season and made an impact right away in Week 1, picking off Tennessee Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck to seal the Jaguars win. The two sides started setting up negotiations the week of the NFL Combine, but according to Tania Ganguli of the Florida Times-Union, the two sides aren't close to coming to a new deal.

Dwight Lowery will almost certainly hit free agency, which starts March 13 at 4 p.m. ET, and while it stinks for the Jaguars it's smart for Lowery. Lowery is very likely the top safety available in free agency this offseason, so it doesn't make a lot of sense from his perspective to sign a deal before the start of free agency. The market for safeties hasn't been set yet, especially when you're likely to be the top guy on the market coming off a season where you proved you can be an effective starter for the majority of the season.