My heart. It is broken. Unfortunately, the Jacksonville Jaguars suffered one of the most soul-crushing defeats in recent memory when they lost to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round. Trevor Lawrence and the rest of the Jaguars offense snatched the lead back from their opponent multiple times, but the unit's efforts weren't good enough to secure the W.
Now that the 2026 offseason has arrived, it's time to look at the weaknesses that contributed to the 2025 campaign's lowest moments. While there's no doubt that James Gladstone brought in some underrated studs to help out the defense and save the offense, he also made some baffling decisions that wasted the team's time and resources.
Ideally, every trade Gladstone makes moving forward would be the perfect move needed to shore up Jacksonville's glaring holes. So, to help myself emotionally cope with how the team's postseason turned out, here are three pipedream swaps the Jags must pursue once the new league year starts.
Snagging Christian Gonzalez from the New England Patriots to ensure the team has a legitimate lockdown corner
If it wasn't obvious that Jacksonville needed help in the secondary before, then it definitely is now.
Buffalo's Josh Allen was able to set up multiple big plays downfield because the Jaguars' secondary wasn't on the same page. The AFC East runner-up didn't have a single receiver gain 1,000 yards in the regular season, but Allen always had somebody to go to when it mattered most.
Travis Hunter is due to come back by training camp, but the two-way dynamo's still learning how to ply his trade, er, trades, at the NFL level. Anthony Campanile needs a true lockdown cornerback he can rely on to erase any team's No. 1 wideout on a week-to-week basis.
Luckily, New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez is headed into a contract year during a complex moment within the Pats' long-term roster building.
The third-year pro's fifth-year option will probably be claimed before he suits up next season. That means New England would control his contract for another two seasons. Gladstone would probably need to dangle some premium picks from the 2027 draft in the air, but it could be worth it if the 2024 all-pro plays like a $100 million deal is at stake.
Finding a way to get New Orleans to part ways with Alvin Kamara for a reasonable price
Look, if the Jags' front office could land Alvin Kamara for a seventh-round pick, they should close the deal.
Kamara had his worst season as a pro in 2025. Also, he's going to be 31 years old by the end of next season. Despite these negatives, Kamara's potential as a third-down back in Liam Coen's offense is an intriguing possibility Jacksonville should consider.
Back in 2021, Gladstone's Los Angeles Rams traded a 2022 sixth-round selection and 2023 fourth-round pick to land the services of New England RB Sony Michel. Michel only played one season in a Rams jersey, but that season resulted in a Super Bowl victory.
Travis Etienne's potential departure requires Gladstone to create a backup plan for Jacksonville's passing game out of the backfield. Bhayshul Tuten could continue developing into a complete back, but Kamara would give the team a chance to experiment with a receiving back instead of asking powerful bruisers like Tuten and LeQuint Allen to add that element to their play styles.
Trading Walker Little for a third-round pick or better
Going into 2025, nobody thought that losing Cole Van Lanen would be a deal breaker for the Jaguars' offense. The Buffalo Bills' pass rush indirectly confirmed just how important Van Lanen's presence will be moving forward.
Every NFL team wishes it had three offensive tackles who could start on their roster, so you can only blame Walker Little so much for the game's disappointing outcome. That being said, James Gladstone wasn't hired to keep underperforming players from the previous era on the roster.
Little's hefty three-year, $40.5 million extension has a potential out after the 2026 season. A desperate team looking for a left tackle with playoff experience could be willing to give the former Stanford Cardinal a shot. Hopefully, the same team would be so desperate that they're willing to part with a third-round pick.
If Jacksonville does decide to move on from the 2021 draftee, the team will need to figure out the plan at right guard. Anton Harrison has played well enough to earn a new deal as the Jaguars' right tackle of the future. So, Wyatt Millum (and his 6'6", 313 lbs frame) would be a great candidate to move inside and get some snaps to expedite his development.