When the Jacksonville Jaguars extended Cole Van Lanen, they made it abundantly clear how they felt about Walker Little. Once a promising draft pick, Little flashed in limited playing time but struggled once he became the starting tackle full-time in 2025.
After a rough start to the season, the Jags decided to bench Little and plug Van Lanen at left tackle. The decision paid off, and the blocking up front improved so much that the team's brass chose to give the former Wisconsin Badger a three-year deal worth $51 million, effectively preventing him from leaving in free agency.
With Van Lanen firmly entrenched at left tackle, Jacksonville will decide what to do with Little. Simply, the team cannot afford his cap hit of $14.5 million, but releasing him is not an option because it would accelerate a cap charge of $3.6 million and leave a bit over $18 million in dead money.
On the other hand, the Jags could free up $7 million in space with a bit over $7 million in dead money if they trade Walker Little. Sure, they may not get much in return for him because he hasn't been played well this season. Having said that, the prospect of getting a late-round pick andcap relief may be enough to place him on the trade block.
With this in mind, here are three obvious destinations for Walker Little in the offseason:
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears beefed up the offensive line in free agency, signing guard Joe Thuney and center Drew Coleman. On top of that, they traded for offensive lineman Jonah Jackson. The moves paid off, as the Bears have one of the top offenses in the NFL. That said, they could still use upgrades at left tackle.
This season, Chicago had three different players start at left tackle: Ozzy Trapilo, Theo Benedet, and Braxton Jones. None of them is the long-term answer at the position. Walker Little wouldn't fully stop the revolving door, but he would be a solid option with experience at the position.
Related: 2 winners (and 3 losers) from the decision to extend Cole Van Lanen
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions were eliminated from playoff contention. They can now start planning for the offseason, and one area they might need to address is the left tackle position.
Tyler Decker has mulled retirement, and nobody would bat an eye if he hangs up the cleats after 2025. Walker Little could be a feasible stopgap solution that would allow the Lions to bolster their front seven in the early rounds of the draft.
Cleveland Browns
From an outside perspective, it's hard to tell what the Cleveland Browns will do in the offseason. Will they retain head coach Kevin Stefanski? Is Shedeur Sanders the quarterback of the future? They'll need to find the answers to those questions, but there's another one they cannot overlook: The need to add reinforcements at left tackle.
Cleveland traded for Cam Robinson after Dawand Jones landed on Injured Reserve, but Jaguars fans know that Robinson is simply not a top-tier left tackle. Walker Little may not be much better, but he could offer a veteran experience at the position that would give the Browns the opportunity to focus on more pressing needs.