Ladies and gentlemen, the Jacksonville Jaguars might be back in the hunt. After the Baltimore Ravens' unprecedented decision to back out of their blockbuster trade for Maxx Crosby, the Jags could opt to place another bid for the highly-touted pass rusher. Even better, the Ravens' way of going about their business probably tanked the amount of compensation the Las Vegas Raiders can ask for as they scramble to get Crosby's contract off their books.
As it stands, the Jaguars can't fit Crosby's contract into their salary cap either. Luckily, there are some moves that can be done to provide some financial relief. Restructuring some contracts is the obvious play, but there's another path the front office could take to prepare its cap number for a huge transaction.
There are a few players the Jags could go without in 2026 if it means landing a player like Crosby and keeping their hopes of winning another AFC South Championship alive. After his woeful performances in big moments, this player might have already been on his way out of town anyway.
Trading Walker Little would help the Jacksonville Jaguars create cap space
Unfortunately, Walker Little hasn't played up to his potential as an offensive tackle for the Jacksonville Jaguars. While there's always a chance for him to have a breakout campaign this year, one has to wonder if hoping for that outcome provides more value than landing a player like Maxx Crosby (or Trey Hendrickson).
According to Over The Cap, Jacksonville would save $11.94 million in cap space if it designated Little as a post-June 1st trade. For reference, the same platform shows that the Jags have $3.86 million available to them heading into a critical day of activity.
If the math checks out, trading the former Stanford standout to another squad would give the front office $15.8 million to work with. Not the most space in the world, but definitely better than what they had to work with at the start of the league year.
While I've been critical of James Gladstone's performance, I have to give him credit for his financial savvy this offseason. His navigation of the cap after being put in a bad position by Trent Baalke is a sign of his development as an executive. With that in mind, there's more to being the architect of a perennial contender than balancing the books.
Even if the Maxx Crosby fiasco is too risky for Gladstone's liking, there are other high-impact players he could pursue if Jacksonville had more financial firepower. In the off chance Gladstone decides to prioritize the team's long-term future instead, the former Ram could move Little to give Wyatt Milum a chance to show what he's got as a starter.
The West Virginia alum was a third-round pick last year but didn't get a chance to see the field that much. So, even if nothing else happens, the Jags could get better by giving Milum a chance to hone his craft.
As you can see, I think trading Walker Little to another team provides more benefits than drawbacks. The 26-year-old tackle rarely got the chance to prepare for games as an unquestioned starter and probably failed to reach his potential because of it. As the new regime continues to rebuild the Jaguars in their image, Little's departure could be a necessary part of the process.