NFL free agency 2013: Derek Cox could have big market

Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell told The Florida Times-Union on Friday they would not be franchising cornerback Derek Cox, but would meet with his representation to try to work out a deal before the start of NFL free agency.

Cox's representation however expects him to be a hot commodity on the free agent market, despite the fact that he's dealt with so many injuries early in his career.

Big Cat Country: Follow on Twitter | Like on Facebook

"It's going to be a vigorous market," Cox's agent David Sullivan told Ryan O'Halloran of The Florida Times Union. "He does want to stay on the right terms. That is going to be the ultimate decision maker."

If the Jaguars would have tagged Cox, it would have paid him $10.668 million guaranteed for the season, if he stayed on the tag for the duration of the season. Cox's agent expected the Jaguars to use the tag.

"I really thought going into this, they would tag him as a way to control the next year as a fallback, corner the market on negotiations with him and avoid the open market," Sullivan told O'Halloran. "It would have basically kept this as a closed negotiation."

Cox, who turns 27 in September, should be one of the better cornerbacks on the open market if he makes it to free agency in March. The problem with Cox has always been that he's struggled to stay on the football field, including missing 14 games the past two season. Cox hasn't had any major injuries, but always seems to have soft tissue injuries that linger.