Top Trade Candidates If Jaguars Decide To Sell Before Deadline

Week 7 marks a critically important game for the Jaguars. After a blowout loss in London to the Bears last week, the Jaguars stayed in London and will take on the lowly Patriots Sunday morning (US time, anyway). The two teams are a combined 2-10 — something has to give.

For Jacksonville, this wasn’t how this season was supposed to go. After a breakout season for QB Trevor Lawrence in 2022 culminated in a division title and playoff win, expectations were high for this team in 2023. New HC Doug Pederson had seemingly turned the ship around after the disastrous tenure of former HC Urban Meyer in 2021, and the Jaguars started 2023 with a comfortable lead in the AFC South. But a late-season collapse combined with the rise of the Texans behind QB C.J. Stroud led to a disappointing finish and no playoff berth.

2024 was supposed to be a bounce-back season for everyone involved, but so far, it’s been an unmitigated disaster. 1-5 is an awful start for any team, let alone a team with playoff aspirations. Jacksonville already signed Lawrence to a massive extension, so a quarterback change isn’t on the table right now. Instead, it’s Pederson who is on the hot seat, as this is starting to mirror the end of his tenure in Philadelphia. The Jaguars are too talented to be playing this poorly — it all comes back to coaching.

A win on Sunday might buy Pederson another week or two, but short of a complete turnaround, he doesn’t seem long for this job. The Jaguars have their quarterback, so a complete rebuild isn’t necessary. Rather, some basic roster turnover can lead to a quick rebuild under the right leadership, and that’s likely what Jacksonville will be aiming to do.

Below, I’ve highlighted four trade candidates the Jaguars might look to move at the deadline. Most of these players are on expiring contracts, so if Jacksonville isn’t planning on resigning these players anyway, they can get some assets back in return for them. It’s a common move teams make when they admit it’s a lost season, which is where Jacksonville is trending right now.

OT Walker Little

A second-round pick out of Stanford in the 2021 draft, Little is currently in the final year of his rookie deal. He’s operating as Jacksonville’s swing tackle, and though he’s been a spot starter in the past he’s never been a primary starter on his team. That, combined with his expiring contract, makes him an interesting trade candidate for teams in need of a tackle.

Little has been serviceable in his career. According to PFF’s WAR (Wins Above Replacement) metric, Little is roughly equivalent to an average replacement-level tackle. That may not sound like much, but in a league desperate for competent offensive line play, serviceable is a commodity. There’s a solid chance he’d be an upgrade for several teams right now, even some teams still hoping to contend in 2024.

Little’s name has come up in trade rumors for several years now. He was an intriguing prospect coming out of college who’s been buried on the Jaguars’ depth chart his whole career. His base salary in 2024 is $1.6 million. An acquiring team would inherit the remainder of that, with no guaranteed money left on his deal. It’s an appealing contract situation, as any team trading for Little would get his services for the rest of this season without committing to anything beyond that. If he plays well, they’ll have a head-start on resigning him next offseason.

It’s possible Jacksonville would want to keep Little around. Quality offensive tackles are a valuable commodity, especially one who can step in and play adequately in a pinch. But if the Jaguars are to undergo a mini-rebuild, selling a player on an expiring contract for a draft pick is an easy choice to make, and Little would have suitors.

OT Cam Robinson

Robinson is the long-time starter at left tackle for the Jaguars. A second-round pick in 2017, he’s been a mainstay in Jacksonville ever since, though it hasn’t always been pretty. He’s had some good years, but for the most part, he’s been an average or slightly below-average tackle throughout his career. Even so, he has a lot of starting experience, and potential trade partners might value his veteran presence, affordable contract and stable level of play.

PFF has Robinson graded as the No. 32 tackle in the NFL this year, tied with Buffalo’s Dion Dawkins with a 69.2 overall grade. It hasn’t been a banner year for Robinson, but this is around his career average, and he’s a slightly better pass blocker than run blocker. Looking into some of the advanced metrics, Robinson is right around the league average in pass blocking metrics and much lower in run blocking.

The main reason the Jaguars might be able to move Robinson is his contract. He’s currently playing out the final year of a three-year deal, and his base salary in 2024 is $16.3 million. An acquiring team would take on the remainder of that salary, with no more guarantees left on the deal. It’s a lot for this time of year, but it’s also the price for competency at left tackle these days. 

It’s hard to say if the Jaguars would even want to move on from Robinson, though they’ve flirted with letting him walk in previous years. Like all of the players mentioned in this article, he’s on an expiring contract, and Jacksonville might be able to get back a mid-round pick, especially in a pick swap deal. I doubt teams would give up significant assets for Robinson, but for teams that need a new starting tackle, getting the remainder of an affordable deal with the option to sign him to an extension might be appealing.

RB Travis Etienne

A first-round pick in the 2021 draft, Etienne followed his Clemson teammate, Lawrence, to Jacksonville. After missing his rookie season due to a Lisfranc injury, Etienne has been a solid — if unspectacular — starting running back. He hasn’t been as efficient as he could be, but he’s proven he can handle large workloads and is still just as explosive as he was in college. Without an extension, however, it makes sense for the Jaguars to consider trading him if a team comes calling.

Over his career, Etienne hasn’t graded particularly well in PFF’s system. However, he’s scored highly in some of their most stable metrics, including missed tackles forced per attempt and several receiving metrics. Essentially, Etienne isn’t efficient on a down-to-down basis, but he’s one of the best receiving backs and home-run threats in the sport.

Part of why trade speculation picked up for Etienne was the performance of backup RB Tank Bigsby. The second-year man out of Auburn is PFF’s No. 4 running back on the season, and he’s taken on a larger workload as Etienne’s been a bit banged up. With Bigsby being the better back of the two right now, it’s fueled speculation the Jaguars might try and move Etienne.

Etienne’s contract makes that easy to accommodate. He’s in the final year of his rookie contract and due a $6.1 million base salary next year after the Jaguars exercised his fifth-year option this May. For an acquiring team, that’s a two-year, $8.5 million commitment, which is eminently reasonable for the caliber of back Etienne is. A running back-needy team could trade a mid-round pick for him to upgrade their rushing attack this season, without being significantly tied to him beyond next year.

S Andre Cisco

Another member of the Jaguars’ 2021 draft class, Cisco was a third-round pick out of Syracuse. Over his career, he’s been a quality coverage safety with a weakness in run defense. So far this year, he hasn’t exactly played up to his standard, as he’s the No. 62 safety by PFF grade. But an intriguing young safety on a rookie deal is a valuable commodity, one the Jaguars could definitely sell off if they wanted.

Cisco is due a $3.1 million base salary this season, the final year of his rookie contract. An acquiring team would presumably want to sign him to a small extension, probably only one or two years, to keep him on an affordable contract instead of bidding against themselves once free agency hits.

Much like the others mentioned here, it’s not like Cisco will be worth a premium asset. But if he’s not going to be resigned anyway, getting a draft asset in return is important for a rebuilding team. Cisco could fetch a late-round pick instead of nothing and is one of the primary trade pieces the Jaguars have at their disposal.