The Jacksonville Jaguars are determined to upgrading their offense in free agency, signing wide receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones on Day 1 of the NFL’s legal tampering period. On the other hand, the Jags opted not to bring back DJ Chark Jr., who wasted no time and signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Lions.
Chark may not be the only member of the Jaguars’ 2021 wide receiver corps that could change teams though. Michael DiRocco of ESPN reports that Jacksonville could be moving Laviska Shenault Jr., who is coming off a down season in which he caught 63 receptions for 619 yards but averaged less than 10 yards per reception and had no touchdowns.
Nevertheless, Shenault is a talented player whose production in 2021 might have been affected by the dysfunction Urban Meyer created. Viska is pretty good at creating yards after contact and can also get deep. Those are skills several teams could use. In particular, these three clubs could be a good fit for the 2020 second-round pick and should inquire about him.
No. 1 potential trade partner for Jaguars WR Laviska Shenault – Falcons.
The Atlanta Falcons are currently in the midst of a cap crunch and haven’t made many moves besides re-signing kicker Younghoe Koo to a five-year deal. Russell Gage, who is a free agent but is still without a team. Also, Swiss knife Cordarrelle Patterson could change uniforms this offseason despite the fact that he wants to stay in A-Town.
Besides tight end Kyle Pitts, the Falcons don’t have many weapons and it would make sense for them to trade for Laviska Shenault since he’s still got two years left on his rookie deal. If Atlanta wants Matt Ryan to have success is in the golden years of his NFL career, they should get on the phone with the Jaguars and ask about “Shenaughty by Nature“.
No. 2 potential trade partner for Jaguars WR Laviska Shenault – Eagles.
Even though the Philadelphia Eagles found a playmaker in DeVonta Smith last offseason, they still want to upgrade their wide receiver corps and with good reason. Besides the Alabama product and tight end Dallas Goedert, Philly lacked weapons year.
JJ Arcega Whiteside never lived up to his draft billing, Jalen Reagor, a former first-round pick, has been a non-factor in the last two seasons and Quez Watkins may be a better fit as the No. 3 option in the Eagles’ passing game. If Philadelphia really wants Jalen Hurts to play like the franchise quarterback he’s supposed to be, they need to give him a better supporting cast, which is precisely what they want to do.
Before the Jaguars gave Christian Kirk to a blockbuster deal on Day 1 of the tampering period, the Eagles were interested in acquiring him, according to former NFL tight end Clay Harbor. Looking back, maybe that’s the reason the Jags were so aggressive in the pursuit of the wide receiver.
After being unable to land Kik, Philadelphia could call the Jaguars and see how much they want in exchange for Shenault if they don’t want to use any of their first round pick in 2022 on a wide receiver. Last year, the Jags sent quarterback Gardner Minshew and cornerback Josiah Scott to the Eagles. The fact that general managers Howie Roseman and Trent Baalke seem to have a good working relationship an have previously made deals could facilitate a potential trade.
No. 3 potential trade partner for Jaguars WR Laviska Shenault – Raiders.
The Las Vegas Raiders lost Zay Jones to the Jaguars in free agency but even if they had kept him, they needed to get Derek Carr more weapons. Hunter Renfrow is one of the most dangerous receivers in the slot and Darren Waller is a top 5 tight end in the NFL.
However, Renfrow and Waller alone won’t be enough if the Raiders want to keep up in a stacked AFC West. Las Vegas has been pretty quiet, so far in free agency. Maybe they’re being fiscally responsible and don’t want to overpay for players in the early stages of free agency but they can’t afford to remain still for much longer. After all, the Denver Broncos traded for Russell Wilson while the Los Angeles Chargers signed cornerback J.C. Jackson and traded for edge rusher Khalil Mack. Moreover, the division still runs through the Kansas City Chiefs, who still have one of the best quarterbacks in the league in Patrick Mahomes.
The Raiders qualified for the playoffs last year but their lack of weapons was exposed when they failed to beat the Cincinnati Bengals, who eventually advanced to the Super Bowl. While upgrading the offensive line is probably general manager Dave Ziegler’s top priority this offseason, he also needs to add firepower to their wide receiver corps. Trading for Laviska Sheneault would be a good first step.