Jacksonville Jaguars: On the Trade Block

With the trade deadline looming on October 29^th, talk has heated up regarding some of the players the Jaguars would be willing to part with. Having already dealt left tackle Eugene Monroe for some day three picks, David Caldwell has declared his amenability to trading players for the right price under the right circumstances. Some rumors have some merit, while others are just speculation and poor reporting.

Jason Cole over at the National Football Post polled six NFL executives and asked them who they saw as likely trade targets. Three Jaguars cracked the list, two of which have been mentioned often. Jason Babin has been floated around in the media, but the Jaguars have not received any calls. Maurice Jones-Drew is a natural trade chip given his age, contract status, and several teams need for a solid running back. Will Blackmon also somewhat surprisingly appears on the list. He’s been the best defensive back on the team by a significant margin which has apparently piqued the interest of some cornerback hungry teams.

Oct 13, 2013; Denver, CO, USA;Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew (32) runs in the third quarter against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos defeated the Jaguars 35-19. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Here’s what it would take for me to part with these three players:

Jason Babin:  Literally anything

Babin has been terrible and should probably just be released. If a team is stupid enough to offer a seventh round pick I would jump on it immediately.

Maurice Jones-Drew:  5^th round pick or higher

I think it’s prudent for the Jaguars to trade Jones-Drew not only to gain assets, but to open up more carries for Denard Robinson and Jordan Todman. MJD hasn’t been great and is clearly on the tail end of his career, so it’s unreasonable to expect anything more than a day 3 pick.

Will Blackmon: 3^rd round pick or higher

Will Blackmon is currently an above average player at a premium position. He’s on a one year deal, otherwise he might fetch a second round pick. Blackmon would be an upgrade for a lot of teams around the league.

The idea of trading Justin Blackmon has also been floated around and I don’t really buy the logic. Even if you could get a first round pick, it would likely be later in the round and Blackmon is probably better than any player available then. Blackmon is also the centerpiece of a core of skill players who will help next year’s rookie quarterback transition quickly and be effective immediately.

– Daniel Lago

Yell at me on Twitter @dlago89