This season has not gone the way the Jacksonville Jaguars would have hoped. They currently sit at 1-5 on the year, and the fan base seems to have already pivoted their focus beyond 2024.
The Jaguars have already traded one veteran player, and the team is sending defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris to the Seattle Seahawks. This leads me to wonder if there are any other players the Jaguars could look to move ahead of the NFL trade deadline on November 5th.
Below are five players for whom I believe there is at least an argument to be had about the Jaguars moving them ahead of the NFL trade deadline. I shared my thoughts on whether the Jaguars should or shouldn't trade them.
WR Christian Kirk - Should trade
I'm sure everyone remembers the online uproar after the Jaguars elected to hand former Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Christian Kirk a massive four-year $72 million contract. His first year with the team silenced a lot of the haters, with him catching 84 passes for 1,108 yards and eight touchdowns. His previous two seasons, though, haven't been as successful. Due to injuries, he was only able to play in 12 games last year, and he ended with 57 catches, 787 yards, and three touchdowns. And through the first six games this year, the Jaguars' offense as a whole has struggled, so even though he's second on the team in targets, receptions, and yards, he has only recorded 24 catches, 296 yards, and one touchdown.
This move for the Jaguars wouldn't give much cap relief this season, trading Kirk would leave a $22.3 million dead cap for 2024, but he only has a $13.5 million dead cap for next season. So, trading Kirk now would open up roughly $14 million in cap space for 2025. The Jaguars seem to have found their top WR of the future in Brian Thomas Jr., so moving Kirk, who will turn 28 in November, for a package of draft picks would help the Jaguars begin to build toward the future.
Edge Travon Walker - Shouldn't trade
A popular name thrown out around the NFL as a trade deadline target is Jaguars edge rusher Travon Walker. I know Walker hasn't lived up to the hype after the team drafted him with the first overall pick in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, and seeing the success of Aidan Hutchinson, who was picked just one pick after him, doesn't help. But Walker ended last season with ten sacks and already has five through the first six weeks of the season, which has him on track to record 14 this season. Walker is still only 23 years old and promising pass rushers don't grow on trees. So the Jaguars would be wise to hold on to Walker, even with the 2024 season seeming to be a failure for the team already.
DT Arik Armstead - Should trade
The Arik Armstead experience hasn't gone well for the Jaguars. They signed him this offseason after the San Francisco 49ers released him. Whether it's his fit in the Jaguars' defense or his regression as a player, he hasn't looked like the dominant force he displayed just a year ago with the 49ers. If they can find a team interested in the veteran DT, the Jaguars should move Armstead for whatever they can get, even if it's just a pick-swap type of trade. Who knows, maybe the 49ers themselves would want to bring Armstead back due to some injuries they've suffered already this season on the defensive line.
TE Brenton Strange - Shouldn't Trade
Another young player I've seen thrown around as a trade option around the league is tight end Brenton Strange. And I get it: Some could assume Strange is available after the Jaguars elected to pay Evan Engram. But the Jaguars 2023 second-round pick has had to play in place of Engram a bit this season due to injuries and has flashed even though his stat lines haven't popped off the screen. I think Strange's best football is clearly in front of him, and trading him now would be a mistake. I don't think they will trade either, but if they had to choose between Strange and Engram right now, I think they should move the older Engram and continue to develop Strange.
RB Travis Etienne - Should Trade
I'm sure this one will come as the biggest surprise, but the Jaguars should consider trading star RB Travis Etienne. He has been the Jaguars starter for all six games this season and has the most carries with 56, but backup Tank Bigsby is the team's leading rusher with 297 yards on only 41 attempts. Etienne is 67 yards behind Bigsby with 230 yards on the season, and both RBs are tied with two rushing touchdowns. Bigsby is averaging an insane 7.2 yards per rush, while Etienee sits at an average of 4.1.
It seems Bigsby having his breakout year, and it seems clear he needs more carries than he is getting. If the Jaguars want to clear up the logjam between the two, they would most likely get more via trade for Etienne, and there's reason to believe Bigsby is the better RB option right now for the Jaguars anyway. And with Etienne potentially having to miss a week or more with his current injury, it could open the door for Bigsby to steal the starting job away permanently. So if a contender desperately needs a boost to their running game, whether it's due to a lack of production or an injury, the Jaguars could send Etienne for a pretty lucrative draft pick-centered trade package.
Related: Things go from bad to worse for Jaguars RB Travis Etienne during disappointing 2024 campaign
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