Jacksonville Jaguars actually found a way to trade Riley Patterson on Thursday

Riley Patterson was a very important Jacksonville Jaguars player in 2023. He hit the game-winning field goal that won them their playoff game after mounting a 27-point comeback.

On Thursday, however, the Jaguars signed Brandon McManus which made it seem like they were going to cut Patterson.

Instead of cutting him, however, they found a way to trade him to the Detroit Lions which is the team that he came from. That is just good asset management by Trend Baalke and the Jaguars.

They moved him there for a conditional 2026 seventh-round pick. Again, that is getting a draft pick that you wouldn't otherwise have and you were going to cut the player anyway. Detroit clearly needed a kicked badly and must've not been confident that they could sign him after he was cut.

The Jacksonville Jaguars made a little trade on Thursday afternoon.

So now the Jaguars have this extra draft pick in three years along with McManus. He has been with the Denver Broncos for the first nine years of his career. Over that year shy of a decade span, he was one of the best in the National Football League.

He can hit short-range and long-range field goals with great accuracy and consistency. It is never bad to make an upgrade at a position like this. McManus wanted to come to Jacksonville and also speaks to his opinion of the team. He clearly thinks they have a chance to win.

The Jaguars are operating like a winning franchise with moves like this. Good teams keep adding draft picks for players they don't need anymore. They also make upgrades whenever they can, even if the player they are upgrading from is also still good.

Once the laughing stock of the league, the Jaguars are becoming very smart. A little trade like this could find them a diamond in the rough down the line.