Sons of Anarchy ends with Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam) making the ultimate sacrifice for his family and the club, but before that, he leaves his rings at two different graves. Kurt Sutter took the audience to the fictional town of Charming, California, in the 2008 crime drama TV series Sons of Anarchy to meet the title motorcycle club. At the beginning of the show, SAMCRO was led by President Clay Morrow (Ron Perlman) and VP Jax Teller, with the latter eventually becoming the club’s president.

Unfortunately, SAMCRO were killed and Jax was forced to meet Mr. Mayhem, but not before he made an important stop at the cemetery to leave his rings on two graves: Opie Winston's (Ryan Hurst), Jax's best friend, and Tara's (Maggie Siff), Jax's wife.

Jax Left His Rings On Opie & Tara’s Graves Out Of Guilt

Jax Wasn’t The Same After Opie & Tara’s Deaths

Sons of Anarchy saw the deaths of various SAMCRO and loved ones throughout seven seasons, but by far the most shocking and heartbreaking ones were the deaths of Opie and Tara. Opie was Jax’s best friend since they were kids, as their fathers – John “JT” Teller and Piney Winston – founded the club together and were best friends. Opie had a couple of problems with the club since before season 1, as his time in jail due to club activities directly impacted his family. Still, Opie was one of SAMCRO’s most loyal until the end.

Jax never recovered from their deaths and carried a lot of guilt as he could have saved both.

Sons of Anarchy season 5 when he stepped in to become the club’s sacrifice as required by Damon Pope, and so Jax, Chibs (Tommy Flanagan), and Tig (Kim Coates) saw Opie be killed. The following season, Jax was hit by another tragedy when Tara was killed by Gemma, as Jax’s mother thought Tara had ratted on Jax and the club. Jax never recovered from their deaths and carried a lot of guilt as he could have saved both had the timing and certain circumstances been better and different.

Jax then left his wedding ring on Tara’s grave also out of guilt and as an apology, as well as a symbol of their love.

Jax was going to sacrifice himself for the club when Opie stepped in first, and had he made Gemma aware of what was happening at the club and with Tara, she wouldn’t have killed her. Jax left his club rings on Opie’s grave as a way of paying respect to his fallen brother and as an apology for not being good enough for him. Jax then left his wedding ring on Tara’s grave also out of guilt and as an apology, as well as a symbol of their love.

Jax Didn’t Leave His Club Rings To His Sons, But Gemma Did

Gemma Made Sure Their SAMCRO Legacy Will Continue

Jax leaving his club rings on Opie’s grave also raised the question of why he didn’t leave them to his sons, Abel and Thomas. Despite being his father’s legacy and now his as well, Jax didn’t want his sons to get involved in the club when they grew up. Jax’s plan was to leave the club at one point so he, Tara, and their kids could have a normal life, which is also why he left his sons with Wendy and Nero. However, Jax’s efforts were in vain as Gemma did give her SAMCRO ring to Abel before her death.

By giving Abel the ring, Gemma made sure Jax and Tara’s kids won’t escape their SAMCRO fate, no matter how far from Charming they are. As Sons of Anarchy never got a sequel, the fates of Abel and Thomas Teller are up to the audience’s imagination, but it’s undeniable that Jax did what was in his power to keep his sons safe and away from the outlaw life. As for his final gesture with the rings, Jax made sure to meet Mr. Mayhem at the end of Sons of Anarchy without any more guilt over Opie and Tara’s deaths.