by MICHAEL C. WRIGHT , Florida Times-Union

Northcutt's age (31) and salary (scheduled to make $2.75 million), combined with the addition of veteran Torry Holt and rookies Mike Thomas, Jarett Dillard and Tiquan Underwood, appear to have made the 10-year veteran expendable.

Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio didn't immediately return calls seeking comment, and general manager Gene Smith didn't respond to an e-mail. Northcutt's agent, Jerome Stanley, was unavailable for comment, but he confirmed the club's intentions in an e-mail exchange with ESPN.com.

Northcutt signed a five-year, $17 million contract with the Jaguars in 2007 that included a $4.5 million signing bonus. In 29 games, Northcutt caught 88 passes for 1,146 yards and six touchdowns and also contributed as a kick returner.

The team hasn't soured on Northcutt, according to sources. But the coaching staff believes Northcutt's presence would take away valuable practice repetitions from Thomas, Dillard and Underwood, which could hinder their development.

With Holt as the clear-cut No. 1 receiver, the team expects the rookie draft picks to compete for the No. 3 spot. There's also a chance one of the rookies could win the No. 2 slot currently occupied by third-year player Mike Walker.

Similar to the way Jacksonville handled efforts to trade tight end George Wrighster earlier this offseason, the Jaguars plan to release Northcutt if they can't find a team interested in making a deal for him.

Northcutt's departure would usher in a virtually new era for the team's receiving corps. The Jaguars parted ways with two former first-round receivers earlier this offseason when they released Matt Jones and elected not to sign free agent Reggie Williams. Before that, the club released veteran receiver Jerry Porter, one of its most expensive free-agent acquisitions of 2008. None of the three has been signed by another team.

michael.wright@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4657

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