The Jacksonville Jaguars have already begun to make roster moves, and the 2025 season hasn't even finished yet. Just a couple of weeks after giving wide receiver Jakobi Meyers a contract extension, they rewarded surging offensive lineman Cole Van Lanen with a three-year, $51 million deal.
By locking Van Lanen up now, the team is ensuring that Trevor Lawrence's blindside is protected for the foreseeable future. On the other hand, the deal cast immediately cast doubts on the future of another offensive lineman who left much to be desired in 2025.
With the Cole Van Lanen deal, the Jaguars are showing they're not high on Walker Little
In a second round in 2021, Walker Little held onto a reserve role early in his NFL career. It wasn't until 2024 that he joined the starting lineup full-time when Jacksonville traded Cam Robinson to the Minnesota Vikings at the deadline. Not long after being promoted, the Houston, Texans native signed a three-year deal worth $45 million.
All things considered, Little fared well to finish 2024. He had flashed in past years, so the expectation was that he was going to show out with a full offseason to prepare. However, the regular season came, and the former Stanford Cardinal struggled to the point that he was phased out in favor of Cole Van Lanen.
Before getting benched, Little surrendered a career-worst nine sacks and 39 total pressures. However, he was pressed into action once again when right guard Patrick Mekari suffered a back injury in Week 16.
With Makari missing the following game, Little got the starting nod against the Indianapolis Colts. His play was nothing to write home about, though. Since filling in at right guard, he's surrendered seven pressures.
Mekari has already been ruled out for the season finale against the Jaguars, so Little will once again get the start. That said, he'll return to the sidelines once Mekari is healthy, so this will most likely be his last chance to make an impression. But even if he shows out, it's hard to see him being part of Jacksonville's long-term plans after Van Lanen inked a new deal.
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What can the Jaguars do with Walker Little after re-signing Cole Van Lanen?
Before the Jaguars extended Cole Van Lanen, they were $2.9 million over the cap. After giving him a new deal, that figure has gone up, so they'll need to find a way to free up space. Trading Walker Little could certainly help.
Releasing Little would accelerate a cap hit of $3.6 million and leave $18.2 million. However, trading him would create a manageable $7.2 million in dead money but free up $7.3 million in cap space. Of course, the Jaguars probably won't get much more than a sixth or a seventh-round pick, based on how he's played in 2025, but a team in need of help at left tackle may get him out of their hands.
Of course, the Jaguars will have other ways to free up cap space, but trading Walker Little seems inevitable at this point after his underwhelming 2025 season. Had he played well, he would still be the starting left tackle, and the team might not have extended Cole Van Lanen. However, he simply didn't do enough to keep his job.