Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone was not shy about wheeling and dealing in his first year in charge of personnel. Not every move was a raging success, yet Gladstone did enough to lift the Jags to a division title and within three points of a playoff victory.
Not a bad maiden year at all, considering how in shambles the organization was before Gladstone and head coach Liam Coen arrived. Both hail from the Los Angeles Rams, who've become an enviable model for how to conduct a successful modern football operation.
Since neither Gladstone nor Coen will attend the NFL Scouting Combine, the fanbase needs something to chew on as the proceedings unfold in Indy. Why not epic trade scenarios!? After all, Gladstone had the stones to do that Travis Hunter deal during the 2025 draft.
Could Gladstone have another blockbuster move up his sleeve to get the Jags over the playoff hunt and straight to Super Bowl LXI glory? Here are a few wacky ideas in that vein...
The Travon Walker future dilemma is no more
- Raiders receive: DE Travon Walker, 2026 2nd & 3rd-round picks, 2027 1st-round pick
- Jaguars receive: DE Maxx Crosby
Not many players you'd want to sacrifice a 2027 first-round pick for. That draft class' hype-o-meter is to the moon. One player who would be worth sacrificing darn near any precious asset for is Maxx Crosby.
Just think about it. Would the Jaguars rather extend Travon Walker and roll the dice on what he becomes in the future, or invest in a bona fide superstar in Crosby? Pretty easy answer for me.
Walker has a couple double-digit sack seasons on his resume. He's a solid run defender. Las Vegas could give him a second contract right away thanks to all of the cap space they're working with.
This solves an issue for both teams. The Raiders get multiple draft assets to keep building their future around probable No. 1 overall pick quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Crosby doesn't have to be all disgruntled as he grits his way through another Vegas rebuild. Jacksonville gets the shot in the arm its pass rush badly needs, and more star power for a hopeful Super Bowl push.
James Gladstone uses Rams connections to score Kobie Turner
- Rams receive: 2026 2nd-round pick, 2027 1st- & 3rd-round picks
- Jaguars receive: DT Kobie Turner
Who would've thought Kobie Turner would be so good? Wake Forest isn't exactly a football school. Gladstone made his hay in the Rams front office as someone who could find diamonds in the rough. Best believe he had a decently big hand in LA drafting Turner with the 89th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The projected $181 million in salary cap space the Rams have to play with in 2027 may look like a lot, but guess what? Matthew Stafford is a year-to-year player who'll cost somewhere around $50 million. His entire starting offensive line is hitting free agency that year. So is ascending pass rusher Byron Young, who had 12 sacks this past season.
Oh, and Puka Nacua is about to be the highest-paid wide receiver in the sport. His mega deal will do quite a number on the '27 cap.
The Rams have to make a tough call somewhere. Maybe they let a couple of Stafford's blockers walk. Perhaps they roll with Jared Verse as their edge defender of the future and let someone else pay ridiculous amounts of money to Young on the open market.
Would I personally move off Kobie Turner, one of the NFL's premier interior pass rushers? No way. But LA's front office known for executing bold transactions and often come out on the better end of them.
This may seem ridiculous for the Rams to do on the surface. When you really break down their cap situation and how many players they have to account for the next two years, though, it doesn't seem so far-fetched that they could send Turner to Duval County if Gladstone blows them away with an offer.
How the Jags would go about affording Turner's new contract is a whole other matter. My take? Gladstone makes like Nike, just does it, and figures out the financial specifics later.
Jaguars WR Brian Thomas Jr. anchors historic player-for-player trade
- Chiefs receive: WR Brian Thomas Jr.
- Jaguars receive: CB Trent McDuffie
You could argue that Kansas City may need to give up more for BTJ, considering he was third in the NFL in receiving yards as a rookie in 2024. Then again, would they?
The Chiefs have struggled to find a reliable WR1 in recent years. hasn't stopped them from winning multiple Super Bowls, but they sure could help Patrick Mahomes in the next phase of his career with a go-to target on the perimeter. Travis Kelce has one season left at most. Or at least one good one.
Trent McDuffie is one of the premier cornerbacks in the NFL. He'd be a dream pairing opposite Travis Hunter in Jacksonville. KC has refused to extend McDuffie to date for reasons that elude me.
I don't know what else to say. This is a dope trade for both sides. The rarity of a player-for-player swap makes it extra spicy. It's equally exciting each way. Who says no!?