On Tuesday, shortly after Jerry Jones went on his weekly radio appearance and bristled at pointed questions, the Jets and Bills swung trades for Pro Bowl wide receivers. Suddenly, the NFL newscycle turned the spotlight away from the reeling Cowboys. Could it soon be on the Jaguars?
It’s a question former Super Bowl winner Jason McCourty posed on ESPN’s Get Up Thursday morning, saying there’s more talent in London right now than Dallas.
“We’re better off talking about the Jaguars and how they can improve their future than the Cowboys,” McCourty said. “The Jaguars have Christian Kirk, Evan Engram, Brian Thomas Jr., Gabe Davis, Travis Etienne … they have so much talent on their roster. The Cowboys just bring eyeballs. There are no trades to make in Dallas.”
Indeed, the Jaguars (1-5) have plenty of talent, even though they lack plenty of wins. Since opening the 2023 season 6-2, Jacksonville has since lost 11 of its last 15 games. And entering their annual London home game against the Patriots (1-5) on Sunday (9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network), would the Jaguars consider offers for any of the players McCourty mentioned?
Owner Shad Khan and general manger Trent Baalke might not be interested in a fire sale, considering their own expectations entering the season, but they might consider offers for Kirk. The veteran’s contract might be favorable for receiver-needy teams like Kansas City or the Chargers, Steelers or Saints if they aren’t able to land Mike Williams.
Kirk was part of an impressive class of Jacksonville free agents in 2022, and he has 165 receptions for 2,191 yards (13.3 avg.) with 12 touchdowns since joining the Jaguars. Could Patrick Mahomes or Justin Herbert get more production from Kirk than Trevor Lawrence?
What’s certain is that after Sunday’s game at Wembley Stadium, Jacksonville returns to the United States looking at an absolutely brutal stretch of opponents. The Jaguars’ subsequent five opponents – Green Bay, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Detroit and Houston — have a combined 21-6 record (.778).
Regardless of whether they deal Kirk, Sunday against New England is as close to must win as it gets for the Jaguars.
Discover more from Pro Football Post
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.