The Jacksonville Jaguars scraped their third win of the 2024 season when they beat the Tennessee Titans in Week 14. Although they should be commended for not throwing in the towel, the victory came at the expense of their draft position in 2025.
At 3-10 and due to strength of schedule, Jacksonville is slated to have the fourth overall selection in next year's NFL Draft. Before the win, they had the top pick by virtue of having the worst record in the league. However, the win over the Titans has moved them behind Tennessee, the New York Giants, and the Las Vegas Raiders.
Heading into Week 14, Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter was a popular pick for the Jaguars. They could still get him if they ended up with the fourth overall selection, so not everything is lost.
The difference is that locking up the first overall pick would allow Jacksonville to trade it to a team in need of a quarterback. That said, they would still have ample choices at No. 4. Both the Giants and Las Vegas will probably take a signal-caller. That means Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders could go first and second overall. The Titans could also take a quarterback or go with Hunter.
For the sake of the argument, let's say Hunter is gone by the time the Jags are on the clock, wide receiver Tetatoira McMillan, defensive end Mason Graham, and cornerback Will Johnson will be available. All of them could fill holes for the Jags in 2024.
The win could also help Doug Pederson stay with the Jaguars
Another downside of the win over the Tennessee Titans is that it could help Doug Pederson keep his job. This was the team's first victory in more than a month and only the fourth one dating back to Week 13 of the 2023 season.
Following the game, Doug Pederson told the local media that he was pleased to go back into the win column, and rightly so. Aside from the 52-6 humiliation against the Detroit Lions in Week 12. The Jacksonville Jaguars had lost several close games, many of them by seven points or less. It was time they managed to seal the deal.
After shutting down Trevor Lawrence and being eliminated from playoff contention, winning late in the season would help Pederson prove that he can keep the team focused. Keep in mind that this is the head coach's first losing season in Jacskonville. Even though the Jags failed to qualify for the postseason last year, they finished 9-8, so the owner Shad Khan may give him and general manager Trent Baalke another opportunity to steer the ship in the right direction.
This wouldn't be great news, as Pederson and Baalke are behind the team's struggles this season, and keeping them around would increase the chances of things staying the same. Then again, nobody will complain if they do get the Jaguars back on track. That said, the odds of that happening would increase if the Jaguars move on from both and bring in a new regime.
In the end, though, it's nice to see the Jaguars win, and nobody should take that from them. Fans should definitely be thrilled to see them come out on top, and celebrate. Having said that, it could have a couple of unintended consequences down the road.