3 prominent players the Jaguars could still trade despite Week 7 win against Patriots

The Jacksonville Jaguars overcame a slow start to beat the New England Patriots 32-16 in Week 7. While they'll have a hard time catching up to the Houston Texans in the division race, the win allows them to hold onto their playoff hopes. Granted, the Jags will have a stip hill to climb but they qualified for the postseason in 2022 after a 3-6 start. Who's to say head coach Doug Pederson won't work his magic again? One thing that could help them pull off the feat would be trading a trio of players.

That might sound counterproductive at first hand, but trading a few players before the November 5 deadline could help the Jags in a couple of ways. For starters, they could shed some cap space, amass extra assets, and prepare for a makeover next year. On top of that, it would allow a handful of ascending players to step into more prominent roles.

So which players could the Jags trade without compromising their playoff hopes? These three come to mind.

Cam Robinson, left tackle

After giving up four sacks and 13 total pressures the first three games of the season, Cam Robinson surrendered just two the following three. The former Alabama product was having yet another efficient game in Week 7 before he left with a concussion. While it's never pleasant to see a player leave the game with an injury, the Jags didn't miss a beat with Walker Little stepping into his place.

Little fared well during Robinson's absence and will have no trouble holding the fort if he sees extended action in the upcoming weeks. Add the fact that Robinson has no guarantees remaining on his contract and the team's brass could be incentivized to trade him once he clears concussion protocol.

The Louisiana native could draw interest from teams vying for a playoff spot that need help at left tackle. The Denver Broncos and the New York Giants are among those that come to mind.

Christian Kirk, wide receiver

Wide receiver Christian Kirk was one of Trevor Lawrence's most trusted targets the past two seasons but was off to a rough start in 2024, catching two passes for 30 yards the first two weeks. However, he's since turned the corner and been his reliable self, hauling in 23 receptions for 290 yards with two touchdowns the last five weeks.

There's no doubt that Kirk is an important part of the offense, but Parker Washington is also deserving of a bigger workload. The Jaguars could give it to him by trading Kirk.

The downside of shipping Kirk is that it would accelerate a cap charge of $21.5 million. Then again, the front office could overcome that hurdle by splitting the charge in two. That way, he would leave just $7.8 million in cap space and create $16.3 million in savings.

Insider Jeremy Fowler of ESPN believes Kirk could garner interest if the Jags place him on the trade block. The injury-depleted Kansas City Chiefs could be a potential suitor.

Travis Etienne, running back

Running back Travis Etienne was an important part of the Jaguars' offense the past two years but he's been outplayed by Tank Bigsby this season. Granted, the former Clemson Tiger has been dealing with injuries this season, but he hasn't been nearly as productive as his sophomore counterpart even when he's healthy.

While Doug Pederson has tried to downplay a potential controversy at running back, there's no doubt that Bigsby is currently playing better than Etienne. Add the fact that the latter will enter a contract year in 2025 and the front office may consider trading him and acquire future draft picks along the way. Also, they would unload his salary for next year and free up much-needed cap space.

And that's the thing. Even though it makes sense for the Jaguars to hold onto Etienne, his affordable $6.1 million would make him an appealing trade candidate.

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