Jacksonville Jaguars land Pro Bowl CB Darius Slay: 3 trade proposals
It might have seemed counterintuitive on the surface but the Jacksonville Jaguars released Shaquill Griffin ahead of free agency even though cornerback is one of their most glaring needs. Once take a closer look though, the move begins to make sense.
Griffin was a good-not-great cornerback that was coming off a season-ending injury. It didn’t make much sense to keep him when he was set to found $17.14 million against the cap in 2023. By releasing him, the Jags created $13.14 million in cap space. Now the team’s brass got their salary cap in order, they now need to address their need at cornerback.
This year’s cornerback class will be one of the deepest ones in recent drafts, so using a first or second-round selection on the position seems a reasonable move. On the other hand, there will be a handful of cornerbacks available in free agency that could help the Jaguars.
However, if Jacksonville isn’t thrilled with their cornerback options in the open market, they should then consider trading for Darious Slay, who has been granted permission by the Philadelphia Eagles to seek a trade.
A five-time Pro Bowl selection, Slay would round out a cornerback group that includes Tyson Campbell and Darious Williams. It’s important to note that on top of giving Philly some kind of compensation for Slay, the Jaguars might also need to give him a new deal.
Although the Jags might not have the space to pull off a trade, they could structure a deal that minimizes Slay’s cap hit in 2023. Sure, the bill would eventually be due but Jacksonville must load up on weapons if they want to make a strong playoff push and keep up with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals. With that in mind, here are three trade ideas to land Slay in the 2023 NFL Draft.
3. The Jacksonville Jaguars trade a second-round pick for Darius Slay
A second-round pick in the 2013 draft, Slay will be entering his 11th season in the NFL but he isn’t showing signs of slowing down, posting a Pro Football Focus overall grade of 73.1 last season. Furthermore, he registered three interceptions and allowed a 54.7 percent completion rate when targeted.
Given the fact that the Jaguars will need to give Slay a new contract, the Eagles must be reasonable with their trade demands. Asking for more than a second-round selection should be out of the question.
It would be great if the Jaguars could get Slay for just a third-round selection, which should be their initial offer. But a second round should seal the deal.