The Jacksonville Jaguars need to address the pass rush. It seemed like they were willing to spare no expense when they reportedly made a run for defensive end Maxx Crosby earlier this year. However, their attempt came up short, and "The Condor" is back with the Las Vegas Raiders after the Baltimore Ravens reneged on the trade. The Jags could have also pursued Trey Hendrickson in free agency, but they opted not to, and the pass rush remains a big issue.
The best path to add reinforcements will probably be through the draft, as this will be a great year to find a pass rusher. Having said that, Jacksonville has just been named a trade destination for superstar Myles Garrett, and there's no doubt that he would turn them into a contender. That said, would it really be feasible?
Sports Illustrated names the Jaguars a trade destination for Myles Garrett
Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated drew up a list of potential fits for Myles Garrett after the Cleveland Browns restructured his contract. The Jaguars made the cut, with him pointing out that pairing the two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year with Josh Hines-Allen would wreak havoc in the AFC South. Here's the skinny.
"The Jaguars have an excellent defensive coordinator, Anthony Campanile, who is sure to interview for head coaching jobs again next season," Orr wrote. "The team will also struggle to retain offensive coordinator Grant Udinski if the team's success under Liam Coen continues. In terms of windows, Jacksonville's upon us. Pairing Garrett with Josh Hines-Allen would create a havoc-wreaking defensive front that would throttle the vulnerable offensive lines through the division."
Orr is right when he says the Jags are in a position to contend. There's no doubt that trading for Garett would boost their odds substantially, but what would it take? He thinks a pair of first-round selections would get a deal done.
"The Browns could field 2027 and '28 first-round picks from Jacksonville, taking ownership of a full presidential term's worth of Jacksonville draft picks, thanks to the trade up for Travis Hunter," Orr said.
Since becoming the first overall pick in 2017, Garrett has registered 125 sacks and earned seven Pro Bowl nods, along with five First-Team All-Pro designations. He's most definitely worth a pair of first-round selections if not more.
Moreover, if Jacksonville becomes a contender, the selections would be on the back end of the first round. Couple that with the fact that general manager James Gladstone isn't afraid to make a swing, and the idea sort of makes sense. Having said that, there's a major roadblock that would prevent the Jags from pursuing Garrett.
Trading for Myles Garrett would deplet the Jaguars of resources
Ok, so the Jaguars could live without draft picks the next two years. James Gladstone has shown that he can find talent later in the round. On the other hand, Jacksonville would need to take on Myles Garrett's contract, which would leave them without much room for manouvering. While he has manageable cap hits of $23.6 million and $27.9 million in 2026 and 2027, respectively, it balloons to $62 million in 2028 and $52 million the followig year.
So even if the Browns were willing to trade Garrett, and it doesn't seem like they are, the Jaguars will need to find a way to fit him in their budget. But if they did, it would severly limit their ability to extend other players or sign others in free agency.
Defensive end Travon Walker, wide receiver Parker Washington, and tight end Brenton Strange are entering contract years and are eligible for contracts. The Jags may no able to sign all three but could managed to bring back at least two of them. That would become highly unlikely if they traded for Garrett.
Simply put, Myles Garrett is a game-altering talent that could push the Jaguars to the top, but it would also deplete them of resources to address the larger scale roster, which would make a trade extremele challenging to pull off.